The Hunter Amongst Villains
by i4md347h
Summary: Wounded, lost, but growing, the lone wolf awakens in a land not his own of which more colorful and vibrant life thrives, but also young and weak. Similar to home, but so different, Garou must wander the lands and find his purpose in a world where heroes were frail and weak, where the pain of the powerless was ignored by the many. And he will change that world with wrath and fury.
1. Chapter 1: New Soil

**Yeah, it is me. I4MD347. This time, I am posting a chapter on a series I've been working on with another author, Asura-oh. He also worked on the fic, Hunter Amongst Villains, but he couldn't work on it anymore due to real life issues, which lead to his hiatus.**

 **I am posting this story to honor his leave, and also finish this fic to the best of my ability. I also accept help from anyone who also shares my passion for seeing great work completed since my affinity with the BNHA cast is weak and in need of improvement.**

 **Here is the story we've withheld for so long. Also, credit the image to TGSmurf. Check him out for awesome OPM fanart.**

Death stalked the Hero Hunter's battered form, waiting to claim him at the slightest moment of weakness. Splintered wood and ruptured glade, blood trailing the dirt behind his path to the fires of hell and dying his humanity with crimson perseverance - the lone wolf glared at his hunters, their visage reflected from his very pupils.

Standing in the clearing of the woods with the earth of which bodies and blood stained cracked soil, and carrying the top half of the split tree, Garou burned with fierce demonic tenacity to crush the three opponents before him.

Blood dyed the rims of his hair, corrupting pure silver to demonic red, as he slowly exhaled through gritted teeth; his bandages torn and a red aura rippled off his frame as cracks infected the shattered earth beneath his feet. Silence permeated the air so richly only the sound of uncountable rustling leaves blew to his ear as he tightened the tree in his grip.

Bang, Bomb, and Genos stood before him; all momentarily shocked by his sudden, logic-defying power. However, before any of them could resume their fight, another party swooped from the skies.

Grabbed by the shoulders, two talons lifting him to the skies with each mighty beat of the phoenix's wings, The Hero Hunter struggled, cursed, and threatened the thing to let him go, but he could not free himself, not unless he wished for the hammer of gravity to smash him into a crimson smear.

However, before his consciousness fell, a black mist suddenly swirled around his entire being, engulfing in black without warning.

Phoenixman could neither react nor parse the event until it was too late, stupored into inactivity as Garou somehow vanished as if he was spirited away by a much more supernatural force.

"!" Garou's sudden absence stunned Phoenixman. From where did the mist come?

More importantly, what the hell just happened? Where did Garou go? No, what was that mist in the first place? Even more importantly, Garou was no longer in his possession. Meaning, he failed in his objective in the end, and soon realized that he would indefinitely end up inside Orochi's stomach upon return.

"CRAPPPPPPP!" Phoenix man cursed the heavens as Garou vanished from the face of the earth.

* * *

Puffing heavily with a face twisted with fear and, his heart thunderously pumping adrenaline, a silver-haired boy desperately sprinted up the stairs until he reached the only exit door leading outside via rooftops. Without hesitation, he barreled through the door with stumbling feet, nearly tripping his balance as it turned on its hinges. The early morn sky embraced his presence as he looked back, staring at the darkness with quivering eyes and chattering teeth.

Cackling echoed from the same darkness, a low, wicked voice that promised dread, as a figure slowly emerged from the shadows and under the starlit night. A man, no, an abomination stepped out of the same door the boy ran through. His form was a mix of putrid green and violet, tentacles and mouths dangling from his clothless body and lines of atrocious, atrophied sinew exposed for the youngling's eyes to his dismay.

"Hehehe, come on, little boy. Don't you want to play?" The voice coming out of the abomination's mouth was just as horrendous as his appearance as drool visibly leaked from his mouth.

"L-Leave me alone, you freak!" The boy shouted as the 'freak' frowned, assuming that it could even frown.

"Naughty child, to call a man you just met a freak. Didn't your parents teach you manners? Oh… they're already dead! Hee ha ha ha ha!" The villain cackled maliciously, as tears started emerging from the boy's eyes.

"Your aunt had some bad evidence against my employer, so blame her for your misfortune! A mere lawyer shouldn't stick her hand on something that doesn't concern her. Know the true price of 'Justice,' kid." The eldritch mutant gloated, reveling in the dominance he now wielded over the child as his grotesque legs of wrangled black tendons sauntered out of the door, heading towards the kid with a maniacal monstrous glee while black ichor trailed in his wake.

As he continued stepping back, he heard another wicked cackle behind him. Looking over his shoulder, he caught a glimpse of another villain, a gorilla climbing up the side of his apartment. The gorilla, garbed in grey fur, bore a wrinkled face of severe skin and hair, and yellow teeth that had not brushed for days. Climbing along the side of the building was more villains, every other varied in shape, ability, and form. The boy was trapped, while both assailants and their victim were unaware of the figure appearing above them from the black swirling mist.

All but one faces grinned, their victory seemingly assured with no hero to interrupt them, except what arrived at the scene was no hero - its figure whistling downwards from the heavens in its long descent.

Like a meteor from the heavens, an unknown figure crashed face down the concrete in a grand entrance, cratering human-sized groove into the roof and dispersing obfuscating dust. A monstrous growl resounded from the man-shaped crater, behind the mantle of dust, arousing the villains to step back in concurrence on reflex. In essence, they did not understand the reason behind their pacing retreat until the dust diminished, revealing the figure pushing himself to his feet slowly.

A shirtless, red-haired man, caked in his blood, with baggy pants and tai chi slippers, licked his menacing gaze over his surroundings, his breathing haggard and his heterochromic eyes firing a glare that can kill. The villains and the boy shuddered in fear at the man, as the assailants instinctively took a step back. An unsettling inexplicable fear burrowed within the depths of their mind, then replaced by one of irritation and caution.

"Who… who the hell are you? Where did you come from?"The mutant Villain pointed one finger squarely at the strange intruder. The rest of the Villains were all put slightly on guard.

"...that bird had the nerves… to drop me." The crimson-haired man snarled as his glare, flowing with murderous intent, balefully lashed at his surroundings and then at the mutant, prickling him with unease.

"More monsters." He snarled as he raised his arm, his all five fingers curving into a menacing claw as if grasping the head of his prey. The bird was trying to kill him with the black smoke. He interpreted his situation as such since his mind was bordering to near unconsciousness, with only his demonic will holding himself together and giving him the strength to stand against the world.

Hearing the strange man's threatening intonation and seeing him raise his arm, the villains all tensed up. They kept their eyes locked firmly on the shirtless man in front of them.

"Listen. All you need to do is walk away. This doesn't concern you." Gesturing around at the area, the mutant villain attempted to reason with the shirtless man.

After sitting there on the roof for some time, the boy realized his opportunity.

"H-Help! Please! T-They're here to take me away! P-Please stop them!" The silver-haired boy shouted in desperation, stuttering from fear at the man standing there covered in blood.

Hearing the boy's plea, the man shifted his eyes to the boy, a frightened kid that was begging for rescue. His eyes, past the tears, there's something about the kid's eyes reminded him of that boy he regularly visits in that park — the one called Tatsurou.

"Shut up, you brat!" The gorilla marched towards the boy in rage, huffing as he raised his leg and stomped the kid's head to the ground.

"Ya just a hostage! Stop crying fa' help when there's no one here ta save ya! Just sleep and accept it!" The gorilla roared as he continued stomping on the boy, to the point of blood leaking from his nose and head.

"Oi! You'll kill him if you keep this up! We need 'im alive, idiot!" A crab man shouted at the gorilla before he stopped, leaving the boy bloody and bruised but conscious.

"Ugh, fine! I want to go home! Why don't we kill that guy and-" Before he could utter another word, his sight sent spiraling out of control, the world around him spiraling in chaos before becoming vertical in his eyes. The roof was now vertical, the sky on the right side of his vision. Then the image split into three, separated by arcing lines like that of a rainbow's before the absolute darkness smothered his vision and thoughts with silencing black.

The other villains all turned to the intruder, eyes widened by confusion and confoundment. Glancing at the corpse of their fellow Villain, they understood what the man was not - a monstrous villain arrived the scene, not a hero. One dangerous beyond their imagining, evident by his bare-handed murder of a fellow human being.

With profound speed their eyes could not track, he, with extreme savagery, decapitated their mutant friend with his murderous fist. Then, as if adding salt to injury, sharply divided the head midair into concentric pieces with a skill that can only be described as a Quirk.

"You… killed him?" One asked in disbelief, still trying to understand that a stranger killed one of them with frightening ease.

"Scum…" Dismissing his words, the red-haired man seethed, his presence now screaming unfathomable rage at the villains as the sclera of his right eye grew even darker. The menacing feel of his aura rose almost tenfold as if he was becoming stronger with each second.

The villains could feel his hatred permeating the area. Confused, concerned, and scared, questions ranging from the murderous stranger's identity to his karmic alignment with society wracked their thoughts. However, one truth was clear, that the man before them was beyond furious for reasons unknown, one with a Quirk strong enough to mutilate his prey with bare hands alone.

"L-Listen… We didn't know there were any other Villains in the area. Whoever you work for, I'm sure we could put this b-behind us." the eldritch mutant from the door negotiated. He was not expecting to die. The man was far too dangerous, a murderer drunk with a cocktail of blood-lust and frenzied rage.

"What did you just call me?" Garou asked as his anger soared, his rage as tangible as burning fire. He was critically wounded, just escaped from a losing battle, and was forced into a situation that screamed treachery from the ones that he despised the most. He had not a single comprehension of his current position, but what the monsters did piss him off to his core. He refused to pardon the after such blasphemy, his heart demanding their deaths in the most brutal way imaginable.

Raising both of his pincers in the air in an apologetic gesture, the crab villain could feel a shiver pass over him."T-There's no reason for us to fight! You could help us! You s-seem pretty strong!"

"Quiet." Garou pointed his blood-encrusted finger at them.

"I have decided. I will kill every single one of you. None of you shall escape my wrath." Garou decided his ultimatum. Not in the mood for jokes or nonsense, lividly enraged, he flashed his gritted teeth as the sclera of his right eye blackened, a corrupt pitch-black.

Hearing his declaration, a few of the villains shivered, trembling in fear for their lives.

"O-Oi? What kind of vigilante are you?"

Garou did not know what a vigilante is nor did he care. He cared only for the sight of their bodies torn apart with prejudice and their blood painting the earth.

"Die."

With that word, Garou ignited the slaughter.

The boy watched as the villains tensed before rallying themselves to attack the dangerous man. He watched as they died one by one, slaughtered like cattle with his bare hands. The man's fighting style aroused a mixture of fear and awe within the boy. The way he fights was, as a work of art, feral, yet graceful. Intense, however, tempered, no room for error in his movements, only skill of the highest caliber. Despite his fear, the boy felt a sense of awe and respect for the man.

* * *

The eldritch mutant watched in muted shock and horror as this man effortlessly slaughtered his once-merry band. Every attack they sent his way seemed to glide past him. His arms were a blur as they lashed out, blood and body parts flying through the air, painting the ground a deep crimson. All thought of kidnapping the kid disappeared, replaced by the desire to fight for their lives, to preserve their lives.

The strange man weaved and easily dodged an incoming strike. With one pincer outstretched, the crab villain could only watch as a fist sped towards his face, a blur in his vision, plunging into the crab man's chest. He felt a brief, overwhelming sense of pain before he felt something ripped out of his chest. Looking at the man's hands, he saw something red and beating attached to thick cords of meat. He saw his own heart pulled out of his body, before the man crushed it in his hands, squeezing the blood from the red meat as the light faded from the corpse's eyes.

The other villains watched, horrified as their fellow villain fell to the ground. The man's hand remained outstretched, still holding the crushed remains of their companion's heart with blood trickling through his fingers. Fear began to permeate the mind of every villain present. No matter what they did, they couldn't seem to beat this guy, touch this guy. The eldritch mutant stared at the man, his eyes wide with distraught.

"W-we're just here for the kid. I-If we take the kid, we'll leave your t-territory, okay?"

"Since when do monsters stoop so low?" The man's glare shifted from the corpse to him, his killing intent directed at him, undiminished.

The mutant Villain grimaced, hearing the man continually describing them as 'monsters.' He grew slightly confused. Why would a fellow Villain be so against their actions?

"We aren't 'monsters.' We're just Villains, doing a job."

"Huh?" The man narrowed his eyes before walking towards him, his killing intent still at its peak.

"There's no difference, especially when all I see are abominations." The man replied with a serious tone.

The reduced group of Villains all shuddered, pierced by the fact that they were going to die no matter what.

Glancing over at the kid on the ground, the grotesque villain had an idea pop into his head. As the shirtless man continued carving his way through his compatriots, the tentacled villain rushed over to the boy, snatching him up — his grotesque tentacles wrapped around the boy's throat, strangling him. Holding up the boy between the man and himself, the Villain could feel striking fear.

"Get out of here. Now. Alternatively, I'll choke the life out of this kid."

The boy's wide, panicked eyes stared at the now stationary form of the shirtless man. The tentacles around his throat tightened their grasp, choking the breath out of him.

"...go ahead." The man said as he briefly turned his eyes towards the corpse of the crab creature, eyeing the pincers, as he turned his eyes towards the man with many eyes over his body. The eldritch mutant flinched when he saw the killer started rushing towards another of his own as he ran past the corpse of the crap mutant.

"I-I said stop-"

Before the mutant could squeeze the boy's windpipe even further, the man stopped and stomped one of the pincers, tearing the claw out of its socket as it flew in midair, and kicked pincer towards him at speeds he could not react. The inhuman eyes of the eldritch mutant widened the moment he felt something cold piercing his head, right in the center of his forehead. The tentacle holding the boy dropped, as the mutant fell face-flat on the floor lifeless like a stringless puppet.

"..." The other villains were now scared for their lives.

"Prepare to die." The man said as he resumed his slaughter.

Garou stood in the center of his world, surrounded by the blood and corpses of monsters, his only other company was a boy of around nine sitting there, trembling in fear. Garou took a deep breath as he calmed down, his rage sated, but not without allowing the pain of his accumulated injuries to catch up to him finally.

"Crap." Garou knew he must recuperate. He will soon lose consciousness if he remained idle.

"Kid, you know a place I can stay in undisturbed?" Garou asked. He does not know why there wasn't a single forest in visual distance around him, or why he fell from the skies after wrapped in around black mist, but he would figure that out later. He needed to heal… also, he was hungry.

"E-Eh…" The kid was still frozen there, unable to move, most likely out of fear.

"Kid, this what you do for someone that saved you? Take me somewhere I can heal. I will pass out if I remain idle." Garou demanded again, forcing the kid into action this time.

"I… f-follow me." The kid gulped, rubbing his neck still sore from the tentacle choking.

Looking at the kid, he was also in need of medical attention judging by the purple bruises on his person, though he won't allow him to call for an ambulance. Garou was well versed in the art of self-aid, and the aid of others. He will not let himself be caught by the Hero Association no matter what.

As the young boy headed down the stairs, Garou followed him. The darkness seemed to engulf the stairway, making everything hard to see. Both he and the boy continued going down, flight after flight passing. The entire area was almost entirely silent, aside from their footsteps. Garou assumed that they had arrived at the floor the boy was heading for, when he reached a nearby door, slowly swinging it open.

The boy continued walking, occasionally casting a glance back at Garou. The red-haired hunter followed the small boy into the hallway, observing everything as he went with all of the doors they passed shut firmly. He couldn't hear anything from behind any of them. However, unlike all of the other entries, the one at the far end of the hallway was open wide, exposing the interior. As they neared the room, Garou narrowed his eyes as he noticed a very obviously broken lock on the door.

The boy entered the open room first, glancing around the interior, as Garou followed shortly behind him. As he threw his eyes around the room, Garou could not miss the signs of forced entry and kidnapping. Furniture was toppled and thrown around. Curtains from a nearby window lay on the floor, apparently ripped from the frame. Dirty footprints of varying sizes and shapes were tracked all along the floor, a sign of the numerous intruders. A nearby dining table rested upside down, flipped by one of the intruders in their violence.

Garou could see the young boy glancing around the room, frivolously cautious and wary for any more villains despite the overwhelming silence around them. This apartment was his home. The blood-haired hunter couldn't see any homeowner. Perhaps the monsters outside had already…

"You live alone kid?" Garou asked to make sure.

"...no… my Aunty owns this building. She's out for today…" Ghin replied as he walked towards a closet, the white door on the wall.

Following the boy, Garou stayed slightly behind. His senses remained sharpened, in case any more monsters made their approach. He'd been taken aback by how weak those monsters were. It seemed like they were low Tiger or Wolf at best since they'd barely even put up a fight. Garou's body still ached as he slowly walked behind the boy, still suffering from his accumulated wounds.

"H-Here you go," Ghin said as he took out a white square case, with a red plus on it, from the closet. It was a medical kit meant for emergencies.

Opening it, a small array of medical supplies unveiled. Antiseptics, bandages, gauzes, and a wide assortment of other medical tools were sat there, ready for use. Garou's body ached as he looked down at the contents of the medical kit. The boy began to take the materials out, one by one, glancing up at him.

"Uhh… w-what's your name, uncle?" The boy asked, afraid but trying to be brave.

"...Garou." Garou answered as he took the bandages and antiseptic.

"And don't call me uncle. I'm eighteen." Garou lightly chided the boy as the boy widened his eyes.

"...eh?" The boy blinked owlishly at the revelation.

"But, y-you look you're thirty!" The boy uttered without thinking as he rudely pointed at Garou's face.

"You want to be socked?" Garou threatened as he started applying the antiseptic, gritting his teeth in response to the liquid stinging the blood-crusted wounds before wrapping the white cloth around them one by one.

The boy shook his head rapidly in response, unwilling to endure the same fates as the villains there before.

Staring at Garou, the boy watched as the man tended to his severe wounds, wondering what had he been through to look so bloody.

"...uhh… why did you fall out of the sky?" The boy asked. A man falling out of the heavens was by far the strangest occurrence now that Garou thought about it.

"...a bird dropped me," Garou replied bluntly upon remembering Phoenixman, a promise to skin the monster strong in his heart.

"Eh?" The boy blinked again, trying to process his answer as the atmosphere turned awkward.

"...a bird? What? How big is the bird?" The confused boy asked, unable to picture such a big bird.

"...big," Garou tersely answered as he finished bandaging his arms.

As he continued treating himself with the medical supplies, Garou cast a thought back to the three heroes that had cornered him. The memory elicited a slight frown, grimacing at the pain and shame that occurred. It may only have happened a few minutes ago, but it wedged itself firmly deep inside the recesses of Garou's mind. After that, another question arose in him.

However, a question followed Garou after the memory. What happened to him?

"...kid, where am I?" Garou asked. Grasping his location was crucial, as he cannot determine the distance between him and the three heroes - well, two heroes and another master martial artist that rivaled the old fart.

"U-Um," The kid stuttered, gathering the vestiges of his courage to answer the scary man.

"H-Hosu…"

"...Hosu?" Garou repeated himself as he blinked. There was no place he knew in Z City called Hosu.

"Is it a new place in Z City?"

"...uh… what's Z City?" The boy asked, evidently confused.

"Eh?"

Confusion was written all over Garou's face as he stared down at the equally bewildered boy. Where was he? The boy's knowledge of the location was impossibly absent, replaced by a word Garou never knew existed. The atmosphere teemed with mutual bewilderment as the two exchanged blank, questioning stares.

"...kid, do you have a map?" Garou asked, fear and trepidation creeping into his heart.

Standing up quickly, the young boy rushed over to one of the nearby open doors in the house. Garou could hear him rustling around various miscellaneous items in his search. After a moment of silence, footsteps grew closer from around the door. Suddenly, the kid appeared from behind the door, holding a large sheet of paper up for him. Clasping both edges of the layer, the young boy continued approaching Garou, the paper rustling as he moved.

As he stopped before Garou, the young boy placed down the map on the floor. Straightening it out with his hands, he glanced up at Garou.

"Is this o-okay?" The boy asked the Hero Hunter as he stared at the geography of the land he now resided.

Garou cast his eyes over the map. After careful scrutinization, Garou's brows began to furrow. He didn't recognize any of these locations. The names and landmarks were alien to him - a sense of unease began to fill Garou as he glared at the unfamiliar map. He didn't even notice the kid staring intently at him.

"U-Um… where does mister come from?" The boy asked, albeit still scared deep down. The only thing holding him steady was the fact that this man saved him from abduction, and he did not kill him in cold blood as he did with the villains.

"...kid, do you have a globe or something?" Garou asked as the kid blinked.

Throwing his head left and right, the boy found a toppled globe that used to atop of a wooden cabinet and ran towards it. Picking it up, the kid returned to Garou and presented the sculpted representation of the world they call home.

Garou's bewilderment only grew as he reached out and took the globe. Glaring at the world model, Garou began spinning it. His glare was practically burning through the spherical model of the earth as it rotated horizontally around a vertical axis. Just like the map, Garou did not recognize anything on the orb. Moreover, there was more than one continent.

The crimson-haired hunter's mind reeled as he parsed the unexpected revelation. He was no longer at home - a pastiche of the world he called home.

"Kid, what do you know of monsters?" Garou asked.

"Uhhh… like the boogieman?"

"...The Hero Association?"

"Um, there are heroes, but… I don't know about an association."

"...S-Class?"

"..." The boy's silence was deafening.

"Oh my god…" Garou blinked as he dropped the globe to the floor, letting it clattered on the wooden planks. Now, he had confirmed it.

"...how?" He asked himself. Just how in all things supernatural was he transported to another planet, one so similar to his? No, he shook his head. He should not focus on questions he can't answer in a single day. He does not know, and he doubted that the kid knows as well. The situation with him and the monsters, assuming they were monsters, spoke of considerable confusion among them.

"All right kid, tell me everything you know here. The people, the… heroes?" Garou demandingly queried for information.

"U-Um… are you a foreigner?" The kid asked now confused by his sudden demand.

"...you can say that…" Garou thought it wise to leave him out of his life.

"...t-the heroes… well, they are a force of good and justice. Every one of them possesses Quirks that separates their individuality and uniqueness." The boy explained with a surprisingly fluid tone and used words others his age would've had trouble comprehending.

"...what are Quirks?" Garou asked, not letting go of the term.

"Eh?"

Garou did not like how the boy was eyeing him, as if seeing a new breed of species standing before him.

"...don't make me repeat myself. What are Quirks?" Garou asked, in a forceful tone.

"W-well… Quirks are kind of like superpowers. They're unique to each person. Eighty percent of the planet has a Quirk! Everyone, even kids!"

"..." The words that came out of his mouth sounded utterly retarded.

"Superpowers?" There were things that Garou despised most in the world. One of them was the concept of powers given without proper testing. In summary, he hated those with power unearned.

The boy continued eyeing Garou, mildly surprised and curious as for how this strange man didn't know of Quirks."Y-yeah. Every Hero has a Quirk. There are even schools to teach you how to control your Quirk!'

"…do you have this… Quirk?" Garou required an affront example.

How the boy sulked before Garou's eyes didn't leave his notice.

"…no…" The boy answered, one with great sorrow in his tone.

"…what of those who do not have this… Quirk?" Garou asked not liking where this was going.

The boy's head lowered, looking at the ground dejectedly.

"W-well... they don't become Heroes… they live out a normal life. They're usually called the Quirkless."

The silver-haired youth's tone was one of sadness and disappointment. Despite not being able to see the kid's face, Garou could tell from the emotions in his voice.

"..." The words he uttered debased the world he lived in even more. The concept of superpowers was absurd to Garou. A superhero society based on superpowers was even worse than the capitalistic version in his home. The reason being at least anyone had a better chance of being a hero there.

"...that's bullshit," Garou cursed.

"Anyone can become a hero where I'm from. Quirk or not."

"A-anyone? Where do you come from?"The youth's head rose up, locking eyes with Garou. An interested, curious look now shone in his eyes. Garou could see that kid was warming up to him, the fear diminishing in his voice.

"...best you don't know, kid," Garou said as he looked around the place.

"Got any food?" Garou's stomach rumbled within. His body was in need of desperate replenishing. That and he needed a place to rest and recover before setting out into the world outside.

Glancing once at Garou, the young boy rushed over to the nearby destroyed kitchen. He began searching high and low for any food they had in their stores. He could feel Garou's gaze on his back as he continued searching. Opening a nearby pantry door, a large bowl of wrapped up rice sat there. Reaching out and grabbing the container, the silver-haired youth began rushing back over to the still figure of his savior.

"I-Is rice ok?"Holding out the large bowl of rice to Garou, the boy smiled slightly at Garou.

"...got any meat? Protein?" Garou asked as he took a good look at the rice. It seems cold and hard. He needed to warm it before it's edible, but the microwave was ripped from the outlet.

"S-sorry… the villains broke the fridge. This is the only thing intact." The boy dejectedly replied.

"...screw it. Bring those too. I don't care if it came from the floor; I need it now." Garou had no room for fickleness. He needed his blood sugar to boost his healing, and he needed it now.

Placing the whole bowl of rice on the ground next to Garou, the boy rushed back over to the kitchen. Opening a nearby drawer, he pulled out a plate. Going around the kitchen, he began collecting all of the food spilled onto the floor — half of a chicken, a small pile of beef, many small, scattered sushi rolls, and more layers on the ground in the kitchen. Scooping them up, the young boy placed them on the plate. Before long, the dish had a giant pile of assorted foodstuffs on top, the boy barely able to hold it steady.

Slowly, the boy began to make his way back to Garou, trying not to topple over from the weight of the food piled up. As he neared Garou, he noticed that the bowl he had put on the ground was now empty. It looked like nothing had been in the container. Placing the plate on the ground next to Garou, the boy huffed from the exertion.

"Thanks, kid."

Garou sat down cross-legged, starting to gorge on the food with his bare hands. He needed to tough out the cold-hard mortal fuel and work his stomach past its limits. It was hard to eat raw rice, but at least the trace moisture contained in the wrappings made it soft enough for him to swallow — cold meat and vegetables. He regretted leaving them uncooked, but pickiness was not a luxury to afford. He needed the energy, and he needs it now.

Watching Garou devouring that massive pile of food fiercely, the silver-haired boy's eyes widened in surprise, witnessing pound after pound wolfed down at an incredible pace. Not only was he capable of effortlessly handling a group of villains by himself without taking a scratch, but he could also engorge himself a feast meant for tens!

"...Wow."

The sound of Garou's consumption filled the silent air of the devastated kitchen. After a few moments, the plate was licked clean, the one clattering to the ground noisily. The young boy gaped at the man, glancing over at the cleared plate. A few moments had passed until the entire pile of food to disappear into Garou's maw.

"Got water? A large jug or something?" Garou asked as he burped a little, his breath now smelled like a rotten collage of junk.

Turning back around, the boy once again rushed over to the kitchen. He began looking around for anything that he could fill with water for his hungry, parched guest. In one corner of the kitchen, lay an empty gallon jug. After picking it up, the silver-haired youth began quickly filling it with the only undamaged tap available. The boy waited and waited as the pitcher continued filling up. Feeling the weight in his hand increase steadily, the boy glanced over to the still seated Garou.

Once the jug was filled full, grasping the handle with both of his hands, the youth began heaving the pitcher over to Garou. Just like the plate, the child placed the pitcher beside Garou, water sloshing around inside. The silver-haired boy straightened back to his feet, panting heavily from the repeated trips back to the kitchen.

Raising the jug to his lips quickly, Garou drank deeply, dumping all of the clear liquid from above. Within a few moments, the water had almost entirely disappeared. After a few more seconds of audible gulping, only empty air remained within.

"Ahhhh~" Garou took a refreshing breath of relief as he stood up. He was ready to go out once again.

"Thanks." He would need to find a place to stay here, among other things. Garou looked out the broken window, seeing the sun illuminating from the other side. A new world… one for him to explore. An enticing prospect the more Garou mulled it over, leaving him a smile over his lips.

It would seem God had plans for him, whatever they may be. However, nonetheless, Garou refused to allow God the pleasure of seeing his design work as he pleased.

* * *

Within the shadows of modern-day society, in a room who almost no light can touch, two figures lay within the darkness, one wreathed by the black fog of malice and the other marred by death.

"Hah… Hah…" Kurogiri wheezed, his breaths heavy, standing on his hands and knees before a specific stout, faceless figure, his energy depleted after his third trial with the trigger drug injected in his veins.

"Your control over your empowered Quirk had not improved in the slightest, Kurogiri." The man sitting in his chair 'looked' at the man prostrating before him with a tone of undeniable disappointment.

"Forgive me… Sensei." The black mist man prostrated before the faceless man with utmost reverence.

"I do not hold you in any account, Kurogiri. Remember that I never expected this experiment to succeed in the first place. There was no loss in your failure, rest assured. Just try harder next time. For the League of Villain's sake."

* * *

 **In truth, we wrote many preplanned scenes but failed to pour enough effort in the progression of the chapters. Still, I have an excellent vision for this story nonetheless. Hope to see you guys soon.**


	2. Chapter 2: The Birth of Fear

Wandering around the streets, well fed and recovered in that kid's home, Garou read the index of heroes the boy offered as a token of his appreciation, along with some money and a backpack the way. The silver-haired boy, whose name was Ghin Shinjitsu, was generous, thankful even, despite witnessing the mass homicide Garou committed in front of him.

Reading through the contents, Garou devoured page by page, absorbing as much knowledge of the heroes here as he could. He knew he might never return home, forever stranded on foreign soil, but even so, The Hero Hunter will carry out his crusade regardless of place. The existence of heroes here was cause enough for him to enact violence against the upholders of heroic oppression.

Walking across the sidewalk, many curious eyes of some passersby wandered to his presence, each glancing at his menacing appearance or, more specifically, his pitch-black right eye. To his unaware, some of them hypothesized Garou to be one of those villains, the kind that terrorizes the populace daily, while others categorized him to be one of those mutant-type Quirk users.

As Garou continued walking on the streets of Hosu, he closed his book, contemplating his plan of action according to what he learned so far.

In his mindscape, Garou sifted through his potential targets, pondering who to hunt and how he should present his debut. But there was a problem…

How powerful are Quirks, average-wise? Garou drew a prototype scope of levels between the Quirks, though there were no rankings for Quirk levels as far as he knew. The kid even denied the existence of a ranking chart for Quirks since their range of utility was too vast and unpredictable to translate into pure numbers.

The best references for comparisons were the unique abilities of monsters and heroes, or the enigmatic power of Espers. However, hearing and experiencing were two different things, the latter more capable of teaching through direct encounters, risk and all.

'Though, how should I know that they were all people?'

Garou mentally groused. He didn't know that they weren't monsters, despite looking so similar to monsters. How could he tell the difference in the first place since he grew up in a world of freaks and abominations that craved the death of humanity?

Regardless, what was done was done, an experience to exercise further caution with his might. Besides, no one even liked the villains-turned-mangled-corpses nor sympathized with their deaths.

Moving past his consolidated mistakes, he decided to wander in his hunt. He hoped to encounter a strong hero for a good reference on how to deal with Quirks, a viable benchmark for comparison. From what he learned, the number of Quirks was so diverse, Garou couldn't formulate even one concise countermeasure against them. From how the silver-haired kid described it, yet a Quirk that kills with a single glance could exist, more reason to add fuel for caution.

Garou knew he should further invest in caution, but knowing that if a man with superhuman might could stand atop of the hero world in this country, then someone around Garou's level should be able to manage as well.

Though according to what he learned about the heroes in his book, some of them… look quite queer in comparison like a monster trying to play Hero. He even saw an alligator man dressed in a hero costume. For anyone used to seeing monsters assaulting helpless humans, the sight was beyond alien even to him.

Shrugging his stray thoughts, Garou returned his focus on his travel, already having a location in mind to start his hunt. However, to his unaware, he headed closer and closer to a cordoned zone, the number of pedestrians began to decrease the further he trekked, an area cut off by heroes in their search for villains.

In his wandering stroll, a presence caught his radar, followed by another, alerting his attention to the alleyway next to him. Seeing what seemed to be a shadow shuffling through the darkness, a suspicious figure veiled in the absence of light, Garou could make out a large figure sneaking in the dark.

"Oh?" A wild unknown had appeared.

Changing directions, Garou rushed into the alley, smiling as he disappeared at speeds faster than the average eye could see.

* * *

The hero rushed through the narrow darkness, into the suffocating presence of rotten odors and lack of light. In front of him, a villain fled for his life, his stamina already depleting bit by bit - chased for the crime of several kidnappings and abductions along with theft. He was a mutant, one bearing the features of a grasshopper be its head, arms, or legs.

Like a grasshopper, he possessed the power to leap great distances, but at the cost of great stamina. Currently, at most thrice a day was his limit, any more will lead to immediate collapse, a weakness his pursuer was exploiting at this very moment.

The Hero was catching up with the villain in the darkness, ready to run him down like a bull and bring him to justice. Accelerating his momentum, he swiftly closed enough distance to throw a right hook, striking the villain's skull to the point of instant knockout.

"Ack?!"

Squawking, the cricket villain tumbled in somersaults, crashing into the garbage cans in the darkness and immobilized.

"Your crime spree has ended, villain."

The hero declared. As he reached for the phone in his back pocket, a voice halted him in his tracks.

"Yo."

The sudden voice emerging out of the seemingly unending blackness set the Hero instantly on edge, their eyes darting back and forth around the surroundings.

"So, you're a hero, huh? Must say, you look… quite meaty. As meaty as Darkshine. How strong are you?" The voice in the darkness queried, the sound echoing from everywhere as if he was a haunting phantom.

A chill passed over the Hero. He couldn't see anyone around him. But the feeling of being watched never left him.

"Hmmm, bullhorns? You part bull?"

The hero felt something touching his horns on his head, a few casual flicks on the hard bone, along with something weighing around his left shoulder.

Whipping his head around, the Hero was immediately confronted by a scene he did _not_ expect. Squatting on one of his shoulders was a lithe man, his visage dimmed by shadow, but his features still discernable despite the lack of light. A mix of confusion and suspicion immediately overtook the Hero.

"Say, is your bodily condition natal?" The figure asked, flashing his pearly white teeth with a ferocious grin shining in the shadow.

The Hero could feel the sweat begin to trickle down his forehead, leaving wet trails behind. Egged from stress and instinctual fear, The Bull Hero attempted to shake the man off his shoulder, only for the said man to leap from his roost, landing in front of his eyes. He barely made any noise at all as he perched down, only the woosh of the parting air even indicating the impossibly soundless landing.

"You… another villain?"

Clenching both of his weighty fists, the Hero kept his eyes firmly locked on the sinister figure before him. Judging by his sudden appearance and demeanor, the red-haired man must not have come for any reason other than violence. But there was something about him that set his instincts blaring, a dark foreboding sense of danger that must be stopped or else unspeakable danger will unfold.

"You can say that — the name's Garou. I had a few titles, but I prefer either the Human Monster or the Hero Hunter. Maybe the latter. So, you ready to be my first victim?"

That answer was more than enough to spur him into combat.

Tensing up, the Hero twisted his body and cocked back his right. Every one of his Quirk-enhanced muscles bulged and swelled as he wound himself up.

"Oh, and don't bother calling your friends."

Lifting his hand, The Hero could see…

"What?"

Since when did he take his phone? The hero paused his windup, patting his back pocket with his other his surprise; he felt an empty spot where his phone should have been.

"Don't worry. You'll get it back. After I break you." Garou smiled before throwing the phone away behind him, letting it clatter the hard concrete.

"Come at me. You'll be seeing a lot more red once I'm done with you."

Gritting his teeth, the Hero glared at the figure before him. His fear now seemed to be mixed with vengeful anger, showing itself in his narrowed glare.

"So you're here to free your comrade, huh?"

With one thumb, the bullish-hero gestured over towards the knocked out villain, still twitching from the sheer impact of his punch. If this new villain would not attack instantly, then perhaps he could be coerced into revealing more information.

"The hell is he?"

The newcomer peeked at the cricket man, only to tilt his head in confusion. As for said cricket man, the villain stirred in his unconsciousness, groaning in pain as he slowly picked himself up.

"Don't you play dumb. Why else are you here if not for him? Which gang are you from?"

Taking a step towards the villain, the Bull Hero spat out at him. This guy _had_ to be a part of some villain gang or organization. But then again, there was something about this guy...

"No, seriously. Don't know him or any gangs here."

Garou shrugged, before entering his stance, knees bent and arms angled in a predatory design - one that radiated experience and skill, a feeling so different it felt almost… alien compared to those of the usual ilk.

"Show me what you got."

The taunting was enough. With a cry of effort, the Hero took another step towards the villain, just close enough - twisting his body now in the opposite direction, his balled fist shot out; beads of sweat dripped from his forehead, as he poured all of his strength into it.

CRACK*

In response, Garou's fist swiftly met his, the result the opposite of The Bull Hero expectations. The bones in his fist shattered, while the shoulder of his right popped out of its socket with a sickening crack.

"AUUUUGGGRRRHH!"

The Hero recoiled in pain, holding his now-shattered hand up in the air, his fingers currently twisted at unnatural angles, with the skin pulpy and riddled with contusions.

"What the hell? That it?" Garou asked, his surprise evident by his rapid blinking eyes.

Clenching his other fist, the Hero began to pant heavily. His eyes shifted from his broken hand over to the villain.

"I expected a fight with a Quirk like yours. Don't you have super strength or something?"

Judging from his tone, The Bull Hero could tell he felt as if he was cheated of his promised fair game.

"I'm not… argh… done yet. I still… haaah…."

"Let's see."

In a split second, with an immense impact of which flinches the mind of those that heard the sound, Garou's fist was lodged within The Bull Hero's chest, deep through bone and squishing the lungs behind the ribs.

The result, The Hero vomited blood as darkness consumed his vision, the whites appearing in his eyes before he fell to his knees with a heavy thud.

"Yeah, we're done. Congratulations. You've completed and utterly wasted my time." Garou sneered before dislodging his hand from his victim's chest, leaving him alive but barely.

Garou turned around, refusing to give him another glance even as the rest of him fell face flat to the floor.

"Don't tell me other heroes are this weak?" Garou muttered. His hunt had just begun, but his start was anticlimactic; so much so, Garou felt like demanding his first victim to refund his wasted time.

As for the criminal, he slowly picked himself to his feet, eyeing his supposed savior with a sense of awe.

"Whoa. Thanks, man. That was awesome, taking down-"

Before the villain could speak another word, his face slammed to the wall toot sweet with overwhelming force, his consciousness giving in as his face intimately engaged the stone.

"Trash."

Garou turned and walked away after disposing of the villain as well. He would not allow the scum to misinterpret his actions as his duty to evil as a whole. The phone appeared at the corner of his eyes, attracting Garou's attention to the device.

Looking at the phone on the floor in his path, Garou pondered in thought. Picking it up, Garou fiddled with the device for a moment, scrying the features on the phone hoping to acquire the contact numbers of heroes for future use.

"What's this?" Garou, however, found something like a map blinking green on the screen - a radar of sorts, evident by the lime yellow concentric rings and the red arrow indicating the position of the holder.

'I heard of heroes back home using these to call for backup. I wonder…'

Perusing the number of buttons available to him, Garou found the Emergency button. A wicked idea coursed through his mind as he weighed his current choices.

One, he could fight an angry mob of heroes regardless of the risk. Or two, pick them off one by one. The second choice was indeed safer, but, considering how weak the hero behind him was, he decided to test the waters. Also, what better way to spread his infamy than a pile of broken bodies in the middle of the streets?

The image of the macabre scene alone made Garou smile ever more. He might need the body behind him as an… incentive. Or two for more impact.

* * *

An hour of preparation later, Garou waited in the middle of the empty streets, sitting on the 'corpse' of the bullman hunched with elbows on his laps, as he waited for the heroes to arrive. Not only that, his body wasn't alone, accompanied by an even bloodier 'corpse,' one that looked like a cricket.

Luring heroes to him instead of personally hunting them was a tactic he never considered in his world, mostly because some of S-Class heroes were critically above his league. Regardless, he still wished to test out his _targets_ here if his findings were of any indication.

All or nothing.

God rewarded his patience with the presence of one hero, who jumped at the sight of Garou sitting on the back of an unconscious hero. This hero was garbed in the attire themed off a wolf.

"What the?" Said the hero.

"Yo," Garou ostentatiously waved the phone in his hands with mocking grace.

His provocation was super effective against the hero.

"Get off the hostage and face me, Villain!"

He shouted as he charged towards Garou, tensing his right arm as he pounced towards Garou.

"Slow."

Garou smacked him aside, not even bothering to look at the result of his handiwork. That one move was enough to determine the hero's worth, his judgment sound when the hero crashed into the wall, rattled into unconsciousness.

In his wait, two more arrived at the scene — a pair of heroes garbed in ninja attire.

After them, four more heroes arriving at the middle of Hosu. Before long, a small battalion of heroes greeted him, some standing atop the roof of buildings looking down upon him at the edge while others arrived at the scene in a rush. A few even appeared in mid-air, levitating with the power of flight as well. There was also a hero with an actual jetpack.

"State your identity, villain!"

"Cease all hostilities and turn yourself in at once!"

The heroes around him demanded, every one of them preparing their Quirks for combat as they surrounded the Hero Hunter.

Garou only smiled in return. Upon briefly glancing at the hero he knocked aside, he saw a phone in his hand.

'So he called for backup before he slept. Huh.'

Rising from his 'seat,' Garou casually jumped off the hero he stood on and landed on the cold hard street.

"Ahahaha! Come at me, heroes! Let the Hero Hunt commence!" Garou declared, spreading his arms wide as if welcoming them.

Today was the day the Hero Hunter made his mark on the world, his first grand appearance with the heroes of Hosu as his sacrifice.

From that day, bodies of iconic heroes painted the street along with with their crimson blood, their downed forms a mockery of all their efforts and what they stood for - and a challenge against the world's collective concept of justice entirely.

* * *

"[I've never seen such a brutal scene before! Just who would have defeated so many heroes and-]"

Switching to another channel…

"[Could this be the rise of a new villain gang?! So many heroes brutally massacred yet-]

Switching.

"[Within the streets of Hosu, a pile of bodies splattered in blood appeared, left behind by possibly a dastardly dangerous villain group we've never heard of before.]"

On every screen, news of the horrible carnage took over all the media channels, stunning all the residents of Japan with the unwantedly graphic details.

All Might could only watch the depicted 'massacre' on the screen in his room, gritting his teeth with his fists clenched. Such a moment of brutality. And for seemingly no reason either. Scene after scene played out before Yagi, who sat still, unable to help. At least, not in his current skeletal form.

Of course, within All Might's mind, there was only one person who could be responsible for such a massacre; his name echoed throughout the walls of his mind, reverberating around until the echo became a roar.

"All For… One…"

How was he alive? All Might thought he ended his life that day at the substantial cost of his career. Although he never took the man as one wanting attention; nonetheless, he was the only one he knew capable of such a gruesome feat.

"[Wait! One of the Heroes woke up! H-He's crawling away from the scene! Wait! His face! Look at his expression!]"

On the screen, All Might could see one of the heroes crawling away, his helmet shattered and chipped, revealing the snot, tears, and abject terror reflecting off his countenance.

"[D-Demon! S-Stay away! Garoouuu!]"

The terrified, anguished cry stunned the assembled emergency personnel and reporters into silence, taken back by the sight of a broken Hero. The sheer level of panic in his voice sent a shiver down more than a few spines.

All Might blinked at the name. Wasn't it All For One? One of his subordinates, perhaps?

"No, too chaotic." Cupping his chin, All Might recollect his memories of All For One, his accumulated experience and knowledge of the Symbol of Evil's character. This was too random, even for him. And there was no villain there at the scene to take the credit whatsoever. The culprit behind the crime was someone new, the next generation entering the stage making his debut.

In another house, a Quirkless boy with messy, dark green moss for hair watched with terror alongside his mother on the couch. Both mother and son dropped their jaws, their bodies petrified into stillness from fear apprehension delivered by the horror behind the screen.

"So… so many…"

On the screen, a random hero from the bloody pile crawled out from the mass, rolling off of the others underneath him and landed on the streets. His body jittered, his arms wobbling when he pushed himself to his knees, threatening to collapse under him at any moment's notice.

This one, however, did not seem as physically damaged as his peers judging by his naked face, his cheek marked with contusions but still healthy and active. But his trembling, bloodshot eyes was enough indication of his mental state.

Even more so when he curled his body into a ball and hugged his knees, rocking back and forth like a child longing for his mother's warmth, he didn't even notice the news crew around him, or that the citizens were witnessing his state through the lens.

"[... This… ahem. A-As you can see…]" The reporter stuttered, trying to regain her composure.

"How many heroes do you see?"

In the dark room where only the static of the screen was the only source of light, dimly illuminating the faceless man's visage, the blind one asked the man shrouded in abysmal mists behind him while 'watching' the screen before him.

"It is difficult to determine an exact count from the presented footage, but it appears to be at least twenty."

The voice of the one covered in black fog almost seemed a little surprised at the number.

"Really? Judging from the girl's tone, I estimated forty at best. Perhaps fifty at most," All For One asked, disappointed, but still surprised.

"It is not the number, but the state of the Heroes that shook the reporter."

Kurogiri corrected, his eyes still glued to the scene with a mix of unease and awe, the first from the fear the scene instilled and the latter a sense of respect for the one, or ones, capable of performing this feat - a feat that will inspire villains in Japan to take action, nonetheless.

"What is the one word that comes to your mind when you saw their state?" The blind Symbol of Evil asked.

Kurogiri paused and gathered his thoughts. Many words raced his thoughts: terror, horror, gruesome. But one word came to mind, one derived from the feeling the scene visually conveyed.

"...a nightmare."

Hearing this, All For One hummed in contemplation, editing his plans for the future in his mind.

"I see. So, this is a message, nonetheless; to inspire Fear into the hearts of many… encourage Tomura to approach the one called Garou in the future when the time arrives. I've never encountered an event like this in many years, to be honest, nor anyone even capable of such feats when I still could see. A refreshing revelation, I admit. Keep an eye on this one."

Kurogiri nodded in response, keeping his 'eyes' on the screen, as the footage of the broken Heroes continued rolling.

* * *

The following week was as eventful as the day of his debut. Heroes confronted him in droves, all failed and abandoned for pickup to the hospital. Although this time it was out of town - the Hero Hunter wished to navigate his surroundings, the cities of this so-called Japan.

Throughout the week, Garou learned a few oddities concerning world travel.

The natives here speak the same language as him, shares the same concept of currency, and very similar cultures. When one first heard the word, 'world travel,' one expected to enter a world much more alien than one's own. Either this was a parallel dimension of sorts, or God was messing with Garou.

Mustafa was vibrant with life, the mall there housing many goods that caught even Garou's attention. Kamino Ward was rife with heroes and police officers, heavily patrolled in safeguard against the villains hiding in the shadows.

Dagoba was a calm place, peaceful and relaxing while placidly reveling in the serene, idle chatter and scent of the ocean air carried by the winds drifting from Dagoba Beach. Hell, even he could enjoy a nice relaxing meal here or there without fear of heroes pestering him.

Still, regardless of his brutal and successful ventures, he discovered a problem with the heroes here.

"Why are they so damn weak?"

Concerning designated class coined by the Hero Association, Garou ranked them around B-Class, or worse, C-Class. There were no A-Class there, none of which that offered even the slightest iota of a fight he tenaciously craved.

If he wasn't wrong, the heroes here were nothing more than a police force against those with superpowers.

"Then why call them heroes?" He murmured, drinking from a smoothie at this seat outside a particular cafe, relaxing in Dagoba to calmly plan his next destination and course of action.

Garou wanted a fight. A good fight. But none of these peons could even offer such a thing. If the heroes here were that worthless, the villains must be worse if they're so afraid of this All Might. Judging from Ghin's explanation, the hero was their Symbol of Peace, the shining light that banished the shadows of unease and fear.

"Maybe I'll test him next." Garou amused himself with the thought.

But the real question was, where the hell would he find the guy? According to Ghin, no one knew where he was most of the time. While he did appear to resolve catastrophes and criminal events, the man himself remained a mystery most cannot even comprehend or solve.

"Hmph."

Slurping his smoothie dry, Garou placed a five hundred yen coin on the table before he rose from his seat and departed to the streets again, He did not look back, even when the waitress tried to call him for change, which Garou replied with, "Keep it."

He almost grew tired of hunting heroes en masse now that he thought about it. While fun at first, appeal abladed over time if they can't even offer a good fight. The terror his 'hunts' instill also downsized with each disappointing encounter, from bloody scenes born from hell to just comical scenes of Heroes piled atop each other with only broken bones. In short, his motivation to hunt heroes was fading strong.

Thus, he decided to fall back to his roots. Training.

If he cannot find the challenge he craved from the heroes, then he shall push himself to the limits by his lonesome, using all of the S-Class heroes, especially Bang, as his benchmark. He will not stop until he was powerful to crush them all with his fists alone, especially if All Might might prove himself a disappointment like the rest of the heroes that crossed him so far.

He started with Dagoba Beach, following the ocean scent carried by the breeze. Trash was abundant in that area, which made it an ideal location for secluded training.

However, the moment the haphazardly scattered trash followed by the blue horizon stretching beyond his sight and melding with the setting sun greeted his eyes, he caught the sight of another man.

Elongated limbs so thin one wondered if someone carved out most of his muscles and left him with just morsels to move around. A face so desiccated he looked like he was malnourished for days, and slumping forward like a hunchback with an ever-present frown Garou caught from the side of his face. He tilted his head as his ears caught glimpses of his whispers

"Hmm, yes, this seems like a good spot for Midoriya. Yes, yes, indeed."

The man seemed to be mumbling to himself, nodding his head as if agreeing to a phantom.

The moment the man turned around, he caught the sight of the crimson-haired man, taken back by his menacing appearance, especially the black sclera sporting from his right eye.

"Aghashfihigsdhgoig!?"

He yelled, springing into an incomprehensible reaction of jumping back and waving his arms around.

"...what?"

Garou asked, glaring into the skeleton's azure pupils and shadowed sclera.

"I… Ahem. Sorry, my apologies. But I hope my reaction didn't offend you."

The man sheepishly rubbed the back of his messy, dull blonde hair.

"None taken. Besides, I'm new here."

Garou replied with a shrug as he walked past the skeleton to gaze at Dagoba Beach unhindered, taking in the sight of the trash and the roiling waves - the waters dyed orange by the setting sun.

"Huh, this could be a beautiful place without the trash now that I think about it," Garou mumbled loud enough for the emaciated skeleton to hear.

"Haha, y-yes. Indeed. I've been planning to clean it up with some help."

Garou turned around, seeing him sporting an awkward smile.

"Really? You? You look like a vampire sucked you dry and left you unfinished just to mock you for fun," Garou scoffed, striking a conversation with the man out of the blue with a blunt, offensive remark on his appearance. It hit him hard like a spear through his heart. Garou could almost see the metaphorical blood spewing from his mouth… wait, blood did spew from his mouth. Why was he coughing blood?

"Wait, you alright?" Garou asked, taken back by the sight of the man coughing blood out of nowhere.

"Ack, ack. Hahhh… yeah, just fine. Just recovering from an injury, that's all."

The man waved his concern off.

"What happened?" Garou asked, seeing the skeleton rubbing his right side, by the stomach area.

"Just an accident. Nothing special."

"Hmph." Garou could see through his lies; his posture was indication enough of a critical injury. One that the man might never recover from till his death.

"Then shouldn't you be in bed or something?" Garou pointed out.

"Hahaha, no. I can manage. The doctors said the same thing as well, but I'm not the kind that likes to take things easy." The man kindly smiled in return for Garou's concern.

"You part of the cleanup crew, or charity?" Garou guessed.

"Well, you can say I'm from a charity organization. I will soon bring my junior to clean up the beach to ingratiate him into my line of work."

"Just him? No one else?" Garou narrowed his eyes out of suspicion.

"Well, there's no one else. If there was, this beach would've been cleaned up by now."

"...good point."

Garou couldn't deny that.

"Anyways, I am Toshinori Yagi. What's yours?" Toshinori asked, reaching out for Garou.

"Well…" Garou reached out in return.

"Call me Bang." Garou decided to use his master's name to avoid confusion.

"Hm? That's… a unique name. Are you from America?"

Garou's train of thought came to a halt for a moment. "No. I'm from… somewhere very far away." He deliberately answered.

"Hahaha, a foreigner? But you speak Japanese quite fluently here."

"I'm a fast learner." Garou shrugged.

"What are you doing here, by the way? Here to help clean up the beach?" Toshinori asked.

"No, just… looking for a quiet place, somewhere without many people." Garou answered, not minding if Yagi knew his course of action.

"O-Oh. Haha, I am sorry, Bang, my boy, for taking your spot."

"Don't. I'm not picky anyways."

Now bored and robbed of his spot, Garou turned around, pivoting by his left heel.

"Anyways, get some rest, Skeleton. We don't want an actual corpse to lie around the sidewalk potentially scaring the folks here."

Toshinori nearly spewed more blood by his blunt, sharp words; his head hung down in dejection by the man's somewhat malicious, but accurate jibes.

"...hah, if only I had more time…" Yagi mumbled once Garou was out of range until he received a phone call.

Digging into his pockets, he raised his vibrating device to his ear.

"Yes?"

"[All Might, we believe that Garou might be around your area.]"

Tsukauchi spoke, informing All Might of the newcomer already.

"Really?" All Might widened his eyes in contemplation. The coincidence was too good to be natural especially on the day after All Might volunteered to apprehend Garou the day before to prevent the 'Hero Hunter' from inflicting further harm to the hero community.

"[We're sending you the picture now through the phone.]"

Obtaining a picture of the Hero Hunter proved very difficult despite his multitudes of encounters. One attempt resulted in the screen stained with blood, and the image produced an abstract result filtered in crimson, depicting a demon bathing in the blood of his enemies instead of a man crushing Rock Lock. Another attempt resulted in an abstract blue of crimson and black, resulting in another horrifying image of a demonic phantom, one that reduced Crimson Riot into a mangled pretzel. He still lived surprisingly, though he was better off dead if his moans of misery were of any indication.

In summary, it was challenging to capture a full image of the Hero Hunter, as if a supernatural force was aiding him. Tsukauchi speculated it was the deed of a Quirk, one of Garou's hidden allies, but was quickly dismissed given the lack of evidence and the absurdity of it all.

His phone pinged as he received a text message from the detective alongside an attachment of Garou's picture. Raising his cellphone to his eyes, All Might blinked upon seeing the pic.

The man looked **exactly** like the person he met minutes ago, though this one was more… violent. In the picture, All Might saw Garou beating Fourth Kind with his own bulky fist. Yes, Garou forced Fourth Kind to hit himself with his own fist, with a smile of jubilation as if entertaining himself with the undignified beatings.

"...eh? EHHHHHHHHHHHHH?!" His eyes rapidly blinked so fast, they rival lightning, before his eyes quickly darted between the street 'Bang' departed and the man in the phone out of complete and utter disbelief - so much incredulity he coughed up blood again in copious amounts.

* * *

 **Author here. Yes. Another chapter I just finished using the ones I already wrote. Worship me. Reward me with some volunteers to help me finish this story, lol.**

 **I have edited some things.**


	3. Chapter 3: Hunter Vs Hero

"Now, where to look…" Garou mumbled to himself while looking at the map the boy gave him.

He now stood in Dagoba downtown still in search for a territory to mark. However, most of the isolated places there might be the slums and the dark-alleys. Still, Garou prefers the outdoors, not an odorous underground room with little to no light.

Despite taking the mantle of a monster, Garou was still a martial artist to his core. A quiet place free of distractions outdoors was preferable above all else, where he can focus all his energies on his goal in obtaining great power that lies on the other side.

As for other locations, Hosu might count as well. The place was quiet, the population not that high, and bore potential positions that suit his needs. Maybe he should hunt the other heroes there just for fun this time, to alleviate his boredom with their pain and suffering.

Something amusing like the time he forced a four-armed hero to punch himself with his own fist was preferable as well. Regardless, Garou didn't have any plans here. He was in a world not his own after all.

"I wonder if there's a place in Hosu I can use. Hmmm, should I ask the kid again?" Assuming Ghin would be more than willing to help aid him. Garou did hunt a _lot_ of heroes ever since they departed.

As Garou murmured to himself, he took a turn to the nearest alley at his right. A presence was hunting him, one moving faster than the ilk he encountered so far. He had not a clue on their identity, but he seemed promising as he waited with his back facing the alley's exit.

A towering figure stood between the walls in complimenting symmetry, interposing the light shining into the darkness of the alley - posing with both knuckles resting his hips with his iconic smile flashing even past the absence of light.

"Your reign of terror ends here, Villain! Why? Because I am here! Ha ha ha ha ha ha!" A jolly laughed followed after his iconic catchphrase.

Turning around, Garou saw the top of his list greeting his sight. He almost gawped at the muscular figure.

"Huh. What are the chances?" The encounter was almost too good to be genuine or coincidence.

Nevertheless, he greeted the Number One hero with his own smirk, one warped with belligerent anticipation, flashing his whites at the hero in return.

"Your timing is more impeccable than the rumors suggest, All Might."

His excitement almost exploding in his chest barely contained, Garou folded his map as calmly as he could, but his hand was still vibrating with gnawing impatience even when he slipped it in his pocket.

"Ah ha ha ha ha ha ha!" All Might laughed in return before his eyes staring firing piercing glares at the Hero Hunter.

"I wouldn't be the Number One Hero if I'm late otherwise, Hero Hunter. For all the victims you maimed, I will ensure your journey to Tartarus with my own hands."

"Hoh? No idea where that is, but it sounds scary~" Garou commented with a mocking octave.

At the end of his sentence, he slipped his backpack off his shoulders and tossed it to the alleyway, throwing them out of future harm's way.

"Indeed. Any last words, Villain?" All Might asked, silently channeling his Quirk under Garou's notice.

"You better not disappoint, Old Man. I assure you that you will suffer a fate worse than the guys I hunted on my debut if you fail my expectations."

This time, All Might's ever-present jolly smile reversed into a scowling frown at the mention of his first victims.

"They will rest well with you behind bars!"

His grin widening at its zenith, Garou entered his martial stance, hunched forward, one foot ahead, and hands clawed as if ready to tear flesh from bone interposingly aligned before Garou like cross-hairs.

All Might stood firm, readying his stance as he scrutinized his foe.

Whatever stance that was, All Might never experience something like it before. The Hero deduced his form as a martial stance using Garou's Tai Chi slippers and baggy pants as his basis, but they might be cosmetic for all All Might knew. Every villain he faced favored Quirks more than basics, but despite this, All Might can sense it - the dark feeling of dread emanating from Garou's figure, an unseen but terrifying force hidden behind the hunter's lithe body under the skin-tight clothes.

Cracking the concrete in his plunge as the wind sharply whipped his skin and hair in his flight, All Might shot off like an iron ball from a cannon.

His fist collided with Garou's figure, but his eyes widened upon seeing Garou's hand interposing his knuckle at that moment. Garou's speed surprised All Might, Garou's significant resistance surprising him even more.

"Ohhhh, tingly! Not bad!" Garou playfully chimed.

"Here! Have some of mine!"

In response, Garou snaked under All Might's guard and leaped, smashing his chin with his rising knee and followed with a mid-air reverse roundhouse kick to his jaw - the force more than enough to stagger the towering hero backward several paces.

A cough and spittle escaping his throat, All Might stared at the Hero Hunter in abject shock that he had been rebuffed, by someone he never met before.

"What's the matter? Don't tell me you never fought someone that can fight back?" Garou mocked, his predatory grin growing wider, radiating with confidence ignited by All Might's expression of shock.

The Number One Hero grit his teeth, his lips curled into a severe frown.

"Don't underestimate me, Hero Hunter! Here I come!"

* * *

Sitting on the couch facing the television with his legs crossed, Midoriya Izuku watched the footage of the Hero Hunter's activities, jotting notes of his hunts. The news had yet to receive an identity of the Hero Hunter from the police, most likely to contain any form of possible outbreaks of panic.

Midoriya could sympathize with that logic. The Hero Hunter's work was horrifying to the eyes and courage-shattering to the spirit. One must ponder the face of the man capable of defeating so many heroes at once, the identity and mindset behind the moniker.

Now, the reporter was interviewing the Heroes in the hospital, the camera swapping to another news anchor walking through the tranquil white halls of nurses dressed in white and doctors with stethoscopes around their necks. The screen arrived at one particular room, opening the white door to peer inside - revealing the heroes within bandaged and resting in bed.

The female reporter interviewed a few heroes, but they refused to talk about the Hero Hunter, most likely from the newfound trauma deeply carved into their minds. Most of the other heroes declined to share their opinions on the Hero Hunter as well, shaking heads and waving heads denying the reporters of a proper interview on the matter of the Hero Hunter.

All except one.

The Jetpack Hero decided to answer the interview.

"[Finally! Tell us about your experience with the Hero Hunter? His Quirks, his mode of operation? His appearance?]" The female reporter asked before placing the microphone before the unmasked Jetpack Hero.

"[Well… it is hard to describe. I mean, I never fought a villain with a fighting style like his in all my years.]"

"[Fighting style? Can you describe us his Quirk?]" The reporter asked, her armed visibly trembling with anticipation before the camera, her hunger to receive further insight on the infamous Hero Hunter slowly leaking to the surface.

"[I… I don't know. The Hero Hunter is fast enough to escape our sight, strong enough to knock out most of us with just a single hit, and just as durable. I don't know what kind of Quirk can give someone so many unfair abilities, but that's not what sets him apart from the rest. Unlike the others, he has something I never saw in every villain until now.]"

"[Oh? And what would that be?]" The female reporter asked.

Izuku held his breath as he waited for his answer.

"[Skill and discipline. He fights like a martial artist.]" The Jetpack Hero answered, his response stunning the reporter and cameraman into a brief silence.

"[I… see. Care to elaborate?]" The reporter asked, unable to picture his response.

"[When we engaged the Hero Hunter, he knocked out most of the heroes in less and a minute. I was watching everything from above, trying to analyze and predict the Hero Hunter's next move, but I couldn't. He was too fast; I could barely discern some of his movements. When he focused on me, he somehow separated me from my iconic jetpack, then proceeded to beat me with it after emasculating me. From what I could gather, he fought at least with disciplined grace, using moves and stances that we barely see in society nowadays.]"

Izuku stopped scribbling upon hearing his narration. The successor of All Might pictured Garou, an abstract demon masked in shadow facing against all the heroes around him, dismantling them one by one with superior tactics and combat prowess described by the Jetpack Hero. It was not only morbid, but also a compelling thought to entertain in a sense.

"[Ahem. Thank you for your time. I and the rest of Japan hope for you and your fellow heroes' recovery.]"

"[Hahaha, hopefully. I'm just lucky he didn't decide to kill us off there while he's at it. If fortune smiles, I might never face someone like _him_ ever again.]"

Izuku chuckled as the news report ended, transitioning to a commercial now, this time on All Might merch. The sight of All Might sparked a thought. What would happen if All Might faced Garou?

To his unawares, Izuku started scribbling the possibilities, jotting down All Might's strengths and current weaknesses on one side of the page while speculating Garou's power on the other based on the information from the Jetpack Hero. As far as Izuku knew, victory fell in All Might's favor using his track record as evidence, though for now that only counted as long as Garou wasn't aware of All Might's dangerous weak spot; the wound he received from a minacious villain, along with the fact that a time limit now encumbered the Number One Hero.

Little did he know that Garou did not need the knowledge of All Might's weaknesses in the first place - instead, more than gratified with facing All Might in his prime.

* * *

Two of the titanic forces battled across Dagoba, shifting from roof to roof as they exchanged fists and blood. With gritted teeth, All Might pour his all into their exchange, but most of the time Garou would either deflect his fists or bypass his attacks with excellent maneuvering evasion and steal two direct counters from All Might in either process.

All Might underestimated the new Hero Hunter. He was not just confident; he was formidable. Garou was skilled. Racking his brain, All Might furiously scry for Garou's weaknesses during their duel, but, no matter what, he could not conjure the solution to Garou's defeat.

Whatever All Might throws, Garou adapted and punished him twofold for every attempt.

" **Florida Smash**!"

But 'surrender' was never in All Might's dictionary. Eyes glinting with heroic spirit, All Might channeled all the power he could muster into his uppercut. The Hero Hunter instantly lifted his guard, crossed arms interposing All Might's attack. However, the moment it collided, it explosively broke through his guard and rammed from under his chin - the force like tephra launched fired by a volcanic eruption.

Catapulted from the earth, Garou soared in an arc, droplets of blood trailing from his lips. If Garou ever wondered what it felt like to be a cannon or bullet shot from the barrel, he was feeling it right now. Not only that, Garou could see the clouds flying past him from the corner of his vision. The Number One Hero punched Garou so hard that he achieved an altitude only reserved for human-made aircraft or certain monsters with wings. He was soaring high hundreds, maybe thousands, of meters high in the air, lobbed into an arc with his landing point in the hands of God to decide.

And God marked a familiar spot for Garou, the front of Dagoba Beach as he landed like a meteor falling from the heavens, leaving a sizeable Garou-shaped hole in the crater he left in his wake.

Landing near Garou's crater, the hero locked his gaze at the Garou-shaped hole - the hole even bearing the shape of his unique hairstyle as well.

'Just what did he use to do his hair?' All Might bemused, wondering if the hair was a part of his Quirk.

"Get up, Garou. I know you won't be downed that easily."

As if on cue, Garou's hand emerged from the hole and clasped the edge, dragging the rest of himself out into the sunlight like a demon crawling out from the depths of hell. Blood trickled from his lips, yet his grin only increased in ferocity and fighting spirit, almost as if relishing the challenge set before him.

"Hahaha! Yes! That's it, All Might!" Garou hopped out of the hold and landed at the edge of the crater, his landing creating little to no sound nor did it affect the asphalt.

"And to think I almost wrote you off as another worthless hero! The rest were disappointing failures, but you!"

An invisible ambiance radiated from Garou, almost as if he was emitting invisible energy - the air was darkening around him the moment he retook his unique stance.

"You might be my greatest hunt here in this world!"

All Might's scowl deepened further, his fists clenched even harder with trembling at Garou's derisive remarks to his victims.

"Don't label the heroes that worked day and night to preserve the peace 'worthless,' Garou. In the name of all the fallen felled by your hands, I will defeat you!"

All Might stomped a foot back, his legs spread and arms widening, as he roared - tangible lightning, arcs of power, surged from his very form and parted the air around All Might.

Garou could feel the wind blowing from his sheer power alone. The more Garou witnessed All Might's strength, the more excited he became.

"OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

All Might roared with explosive power, cratering a spreading basin under his feet as the air shimmered with energy overflowing from his Quirk.

"Ohhh~ la la!" Garou only mockingly hummed, as if welcoming the challenge with all his heart.

This fight was what Garou waited for, an actual hero that rivaled the power of an average S-Class, a strong hero that could push him to reach the potential that lies at the other side - an unimaginable power that lies beyond the limit.

All Might watched as the quiet ambiance around Garou intensified even further and further, compressing and blending into a more tangible form - refined and condensed, still and calm as a still pond.

Feeling the placid, ominous aura, All Might cannot quell the unease in his heart. Something about this Villain sets him apart from the rest, even All For One, something far more dangerous than he can even imagine - an inexplicable feeling that cannot translate into mere words.

And then, they clashed, as All Might barrelled Garou over to the trash-covered sands of Dagoba Beach.

Sand and disparate trash of all amorphous shapes and sizes parted in their wake as the two clashing figures broke from their trade parallel to the tidal shores - feet sliding across the sands and the sun slowly sinking into the ocean at their respective sides.

Both fighters were raring for round two already, each injured by the other but still burned with fighting spirit.

Like a standoff, both fighters stood within the tense and still silence, ready to engage as the calm ocean breeze tickled their skin while the stench of rotting metal graced their nostrils.

Both Hero and Hunter glared into each other's eyes, tensed legs digging into the sand under them and fingers taut, daring each other to make the first move. The air remained so silent, that only the tidal sounds of crashing and receding waves filled the air, adding further tension to the battle between Hunter and Hero.

" **Texaaaaasss Smaaash**!"

The sound of a seagull cawing sparked their second round. They clashed, not even a second passed yet they traversed the distance faster than the average eyes can see.

In their clash, an explosion of air pressure shot from All Might's punch, blasting away some of the trash littering Dagoba into the air while whistling the wind very audibly. However, to his dismay and astonishment, Garou caught his Texas Smash, his predatory claw holding his fist in his palm. Not only that, sharp pain spiraled around his arm, blood spontaneously spilling from hand to shoulder to the skin of his neck.

"-What?!" All Might's complexion paled.

Garou countered Texas Smash countered seemingly without flaw as he briskly took his eyes off Garou for a moment to inspect his wounds out of shock.

All Might's conjecture of Garou's Quirk was derailed magnificently by Garou's feats. His Quirk was supposed to be something like his but operated on a different mechanic, yet even he could not explain the logic of his counter. It felt as if sharp blades coiled around his arm and reached his neck, tearing past his skin and one finger width deep into his muscles and allowing his blood to escape his veins and arteries.

However, when All Might glanced back, Garou already snaked his arms around of his, latching it tighter than any Quirk-empowered anaconda could in a constricting armhold. Garou flashed his ferocious grin at All Might as the Number One Hero widen his eyes - realized what he would do.

"Give me paw."

Unlike with Genos, All Might was flesh and blood. If he did to All Might what he did with the Demon Cyborg's mechanical arm, it would not bode well for the Number One Hero.

And thus, Garou spiraled around All Might's arm in an arm hold, bones cracking with every twist, landing one pace beside All Might's right side.

Not wasting a second, Garou leaped over the Number One Hero, corkscrew spinning his body along the way in a graceful arc no farther than a few inches radius from All Might as Garou's epicenter; nearly wrenching off All Might's arm while almost permanently breaking his bones in the process upon landing on All Might's left side.

"AGHHHHHHHHHHH!" All Might cried out in pain, gritting his teeth when he nearly felt his shoulder popped.

Garou backflipped, landing atop large, mangled refrigerator caked in grey rot and rust, perched like a frog, Garou smirked upon the sight of All Might's suffering of which All Might returned with a glare of his own.

"Give it up, Hero. I already memorized your moves. You're strong, but all this power you have is wasted in each punch. Like a hose with holes, you spray your power without exerting its fullest potential. In short, you cannot defeat me, the cause being your indolence in refining your power."

All Might did not respond, only clutching his right arm and forcibly popping his shoulder back in place. A grunt escaped his lips after the raw sound of cracking bone of his joint forcefully repressed back into place. The Hero panted from pain and exhaustion; the wind now billowed their hair from the ocean as the setting sun cast both of their slowly elongating shadows from the side.

'He's strong.'

All Might narrowed his glare. Not only was Garou skilled and powerful, but also analytically learned. If he kept fighting Garou, he would deflate, his power doused from overburning his Quirk. He was unsure whether he could end this here and now, but considering Garou's illogical strength, speed, and reflexes, it might prove to be a great challenge to overcome.

One step forward, Garou casually dropped from his perch. However, when Garou landed, it did not result in a soft touchdown. It resulted in an explosive cratering wave of sand enshrouding his visage from All Might's sight.

"!" Surprised, All Might blinked, but once he opened his eyelids, a broken flying refrigerator greeted his sight.

"What?!" All Might interpose the flying appliance with left arm - his right refusing to respond in time - as filaments and crumbed scraps of metal and parts splashed all over his body upon impact. All Might suffered no lesions from the collision, but once he swung his left arm to smack the appliance away, Garou was no longer there.

He changed locations at that moment, making All Might widen his eyes with shock as he turned his body around - unknowingly presenting his crippling scar to Garou at that vulnerable moment.

"Surprise!" Garou shouted, his body bent low with his right arm thrown forward and piercing All Might's side, directly at his weak spot - the force not aspired to puncture his skin and muscle but to inflict massive damage to his body and launch him forward like a cannon. Garou could feel the wound as blood splattered from All Might's suit to his hand.

All Might zipped through the air, and his body bent dangerously acute before he tumbled across the mire of junk and sand from shoulder to shoulder for several moments, clearing a swathing path between him and Garou.

The pain in his back felt as if someone planted a bomb inside his spine through his accursed scar, air rushing into his fatal cicatrix and pressed more blood from the cursed wound. That attack was different, something new as if air condensed itself into a concentrated sphere by Garou's will and blasted into his injury. It felt almost similar to one of All For One's Quirks.

Not only that, his time was almost near. The accumulating wounds from their fierce exchange shortened All Might's duration more than expected. He estimated a few minutes at best, the thought pushing him to pick himself up against the screaming pain as he turned to face Garou behind him with an unyielding glare.

However, Garou did not bear the same confident smile as before. Replacing his smirk was a scowl, a face of disbelief and irritation.

"The hell?" Garou appeared as if offended by his opponent.

"You dare come here wounded? Did you come here to mock me?" Garou trembled with frustration at the fact that his prey arrived as damaged goods - broken already by another. Seething at All Might with growing spite, Garou clenched his blood-drenched hand to the point of the whites of his knuckles showed.

No response came from All Might; all tensions drained like the blood leaving the gaping wound in his stomach as confusion replaced his hostility.

"I expected to face a Number One hero, a Symbol of Peace, not a goddamn patient that belongs to a hospital."

From that last attack, Garou knew. He could feel the malformations within All Might's stomach, and from his haggard breathing and inconsistent breaths, his lungs suffered as well. All Might's tempo felt off, which was the reason why All Might managed to bypass his guard. Garou knew something was wrong with All Might the moment they exchanged fists, but the revelation that the cause came from a past wound and not sophisticated tactics infuriates him. He did not commence his hunt to prey on the weak and sick.

"Ha ha-" All Might coughed, blood splotching the trash-covered sand with each laugh. "Hack! As if a flesh wound could keep me down!" He bluffed, smiling even in the face of oppressive odds.

'He knew when we fought?' Garou was the first to discern his secret. His greatest fear was starting to bloom before him, a villain discovering that he, Japan's Number One Hero, was growing weaker from scars of distant past. His anxiety rose with each second, his control over the situation now violently wrenched out of his reach.

His fate, no, the future of hero society itself, now fell under Garou's mercy.

"Tsk, then you should've stayed in bed." There was no merit in defeating an already wounded hero other than shame and dishonor. Despite All Might's valiant efforts in holding his ground against him, the hero besmirched Garou's hopes and spat on his expectations.

"Ha ha ha! How can I when the world still needs a hero more than ever? I will not rest until I've fulfilled my duty as the Symbol of Peace!" All Might retorted, his smile bent down to a frown despite his jolly timbre.

"Symbol?" Garou scoffed, now insulted by his proclamation.

"What kind of 'Symbol' fights with a gut wound and rotting lungs? You're by no means worthy of that title, especially as you are now."

Outraged by All Might's treachery, Garou turned around until his shoulder faced All Might, leaving their fight, heading towards the streets outside Dagoba Beach without giving the Number One Hero the chance to respond.

"Hm?" Confused, All Might watched Garou leave without a word.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm done. You ruined it. Congratulations. You've actually ruined the moment. I hope you're happy, you prick," Garou responded with sarcastic irritation, not even giving All Might a second glance.

"What?" All Might cannot understand his reasoning. "Why?"

"I don't hunt the impaired. Don't come back unless you're healed."

Garou's answer left All Might stunned.

"Don't tell me you're leaving me because I'm... not in my prime?"

"Don't push your luck, old man."

Out of all the things he anticipated from the Hero Hunter, 'honor' was not one of them, as well as insincerity. He expected the worst to happen that Garou will force him into his last stand, but instead, The Hero Hunter left because of All Might's failure of meeting his standards.

His pride roared to chase him, but his time was short, and he must tend to his wounds. He clenched his teeth in helplessness, forced to endure the shame of defeat. He cannot call for help or else he'd feed them to the line of victims under Garou's consecutive victories. He cannot muster the strength needed to rise and resume their fight. And worse, he couldn't defeat the sense of failure pricking his heart, forced to watch the villain walk away unchallenged. All Might can only seal his lips shut as his eyes trailed Garou's form traveling into the distance with a pained mien, forced to accept the lesser of the evils presented - causing him to dig his fingers deeper into the sand with clenched teeth.

As he laid there powerless, the memory of Garou from their initial meeting returned. How can such an amiable man be capable of committing such atrocities with glee? He cannot accept this. He could not acknowledge Garou's ethos as something spawned from a spontaneous and senseless whim.

"I never took you for a man of honor," All Might called out.

"Don't be mistaken. You're no longer worth my time," Garou replied without stopping nor looking back. His answer infuriated him

"And the other heroes? Tell me, are they worth 'your time?' Why hunt them if there's no value in me? Why are you doing this, my boy?" All Might can tell. Garou was bluffing, his words now insincere.

That made Garou stop in his tracks. All Might knew Garou was finding a response.

"Why are you doing this? Why are you hunting heroes, Garou?! Someone like you shouldn't commit such atrocities! I know from our exchange you are better than this!" Pushing himself up to his knee, All Might shouted, all of his emotions poured into this outburst. Garou's forms and fighting style were pure, radiating with discipline and sharpened with purpose. Garou was like a blade made by human hands, a warrior's hands, a divine gleaming quality through the lens of aggressive intent.

No villain can fight with evident emphasis on diligence and effort like him. The man he first met on this beach was opposite the man now, as if the face of a villain donned itself onto that of an ordinary, estranged man. What course of events could lead someone like him so far astray?

This time, Garou allowed All Might a sideways glance. His eyes bore no traces of evil, no hunger for violence or chaos. Only a predator's eyes, wolven eyes, those of a Hunter's responded to All Might's gaze, revealing just a glimpse of Garou's true nature.

"Because I must."

Garou spoke with a voice of keen conviction, one that can cut through the most stubborn of hearts with ease. His response was cryptic to All Might, but despite it, he can tell - a reason driving behind his crusade.

All Might swore himself to know why, because he knew he must as well. If he wished to end this nightmare, he must understand this tragic soul before he could bring catastrophe.

* * *

 **Yeah, here it is. Just before New Years as well. Anyways, what do you think of the fight? I tried to make it as epic as I envision, but transcribing my ideas into words seem a bit difficult hahaha. Anyways, I've been planning another fanfic about Garou or Boros sent to the One Piece world, an OPM X One Piece fanfic. The problem is, my affinity with One Piece is lacking. Thus I might require a learned fan to help me write. Possibly even considering a Fire Emblem Fate X Star Wars: The Force Unleashed crossover fanfic, but I have little to no knowledge or experience in the Fire Emblem series. Thus I require assistance.**

 **Let me know if any of you are interested in.**


	4. Chapter 4: Back to Square One

Silence dominated the room, nary even a single word uttered between detective and hero. Worry mottling his mien, Tsukauchi remained silently seated next to All Might, his hands clasped together. He winced upon briefly glancing at All Might's casted arm for a brief moment.

Most of the damage concentrated into All Might's right-wing, of which twisted almost past the point of permanent monoplegia along with the multitudes of lacerations bedecking its tendons. Whatever Garou did to All Might's arm, All Might was lucky that his arm could even recover despite the severity of the damage.

"...I still cannot believe you've lost, and it isn't to your archnemesis." Tsukauchi spoke his thoughts once more with an octave of disbelief.

Toshinori Yagi sighed in his white bed. After Garou thoroughly 'handed his ass to him,' the ambulance recovered his injured body and stationed him, as Toshinori Yagi, in a reserved private hospital room within Dagoba. Looking down on his right arm, seeing the bandages wrapped around the incisions inflicted by Garou's strange Quirk, All Might ground his teeth with frustration. The image of Garou overwhelming him in combat was still fresh in his mind.

Sitting beside All Might's bed, the detective pinched the bridge of his nose, worry and stress stockpiled within his heart and mind. All Might's defeat was the worst-case scenario, one that even Tsukauchi never bothered to consider as a viable possibility.

"This is not good. If word of your loss spreads…"

Toshinori raised his working hand, "I know."

The Hero Community would crumble towards a downward spiral if the public knew. The Hero Hunter, barely after a week, already became Japan's Number One priority, an S-Class villain that must be imprisoned within Tartarus at all costs.

"Tsukauchi, how goes your indagation of Garou? Have you uncovered any relevant information appertaining his background?" All Might asked, very curious about Garou's background.

"Unfortunately, no. In our investigation, we encountered a problem," Tsukauchi pursed his lips. "Garou has absolutely no background in Japan."

The answer caused All Might to shoot his head towards his long-time friend. "What?"

Tsukauchi sighed as he rubbed the back of his head, "We cross-examined his picture and his name, yet the others found absolutely no record of his birth, his social security number, nor anything close to uncovering his identity. In summary, Garou does not exist."

All Might's jaw slacked in response, trying to parse Tsukauchi's dilemma until he remembered his conversation with Garou before the battle.

"Wait," Toshinori recalled a key point of their chat. "He said he came from somewhere far away. Maybe he's a foreigner," he cupped his chin with his uninjured left in deep thought. If Japan held no record of his birth, maybe his provenance originated overseas.

"You spoke with him?" Tsukauchi asked, his tone radiating with hope.

"Yes; when I was still Toshinori Yagi, we spoke. He was surprisingly civil and, well, amiable. He spoke of his need to find a quiet place to train, if I recall," Yagi recounted.

"Did he mention the reason?"

All Might shook his head in rejection. Unfortunately, Garou didn't explain his need for reclusive training. Tsukauchi rubbed his chin in thought, trying to conjecture any locations that might serve the Hero Hunter's needs.

"I see. Hmmm, considering the expansive land of Japan, there are many locations Garou could settle in. Damn it, I fear for the civilians and others that live near his newfound 'territory.'" The detective grimaced, praying that the Hero Hunter won't drag civilians in his penchant for violence.

* * *

After his intense engagement at Dagoba Beach, Garou set off to cleanse himself of blood and grime using a fire hydrant of which he broke without any regard for property consequence. Once clean, Garou set off to retrieve his backpack left in the alleyway where he encountered All Might. Strong or not, he refused to attract attention by committing small-time theft, thus relying on the value of his essentials to financially sustain his livelihood.

Now fully packed, Garou cleansed himself even further by entering Dagoba's public bathhouse, needing to also clean himself of the sand left on his body while waiting for his clothes to dry. Once finished, he set off to Hosu once again, to the land where he first set foot into this world.

Upon returning to the streets, however, he was immediately greeted by utter chaos. Villains seemed to run rampant here on the streets, several robberies taking place while heroes struggled to apprehend the runaways. The area changed too much in the following days. He did not expect this nor did he desire such anarchy to occur after the end of his first hunt.

A group of three villains, one with the head of a tongue, one with a nose for a chest, and the last having eyes aleatory dotted around his head, ran down the sidewalk with bags of cash, each sack dripping ten thousand yen bills in their escape from a duo of heroes chasing them. Another was driving down the road in a hijacked truck of which its driver was a man with tusks protruding out his eyes with looted goods stored in the back like jewelry as the police cars blared their sirens in their chase. There were even fights taking place between villains and heroes with the victors still undetermined - the sounds of battle reaching even Garou's distance.

'Well…' Garou hoped the kid was unharmed in the uproar while he was away. While he did meet the kid a week ago, he liked the kid, mostly because the boy wasn't afraid of him despite seeing him slaughtering people he mistook for monsters. That and he gave him food and money.

While he was busy ruminating, a few of the villains - a group of people with no distinguishable traits - ran up to him before one of them pointed a gun, an M-7 Glock, at The Hero Hunter's head while the other two gazed at the heroes that pursued them.

Ignoring the villains and the gun, upon looking at the two heroes, Garou noted their costumes share a similar theme with those he saw back home, yet they were different in the long run. A sun-themed skintight suit for one man and leather jacket on the other.

As for the villains, the three shared a theme, all wearing a monochromatic clown mask bearing the predominant red as dark as the color of blood, while garbed in a hybrid of a clown's attire and that of the ordinary mafia's - wearing the shoes of clowns and the suits of high-class gang members.

"Give up pursuit, heroes! Unless you want to see this guy's brains blown up!" The villain smirked, slowly circling Garou with a mocking grin of confidence, while the two costumed heroes grit their teeth at the unexpected hostage situation.

However, neither were aware of the man's identity or the danger they placed themselves in, oblivious to Garou's shadowed eyes nor his growing irritation to the situation around him.

"Let him go, you villain! Wait, holy crap he looks scary," one of the two heroes uttered upon taking a closer look at the scarlet-haired man.

"Ahahaha, words can't save you-wait, wow, he _is_ scary." The villain holding the pistol blinked thrice upon attempting to parse the palpably sharp irritation emanating from the man's countenance, one so tangibly keen it could punch holes in their hearts. The guy looked as if he was crossbred with a demon from hell judging by the demonic right eye.

Both heroes and villains descended into an awkward silence for a brief moment, unsure of their next course of action. On the one hand, they could continue their routine activities, but they couldn't. The man was just that damn scary, and somehow emanated a dark presence that spelled death and misfortune if provoked.

"...You."

The villain flinched upon receiving his 'hostage's' piercing gaze.

"I'll only say this once. Get that gun out of my face, or I'll paint the streets red and pink with your innards."

"""""Eh?""""" All three villains and two heroes uttered in simultaneous confusion; the heroes shocked to hear such baleful threats from the 'hostage' while the villains were even more shocked that he didn't fear the gun aimed at his head.

Despite being held hostage, the verisimilitude of Garou's threat carried far more authenticity than that of the man carrying the gun himself. A dark, foreboding emanated from their 'hostage,' an inexplicable feeling that cannot translate into words.

However, it was a feeling that failed to correspond with the villains that were used to violence and abusing others. Thus, they quelled their unease to reclaim the vestiges of their dignity and confidence.

"S-Shut up, hostage! Unless you want to die, I suggest you-"

Before he could even finish, his 'hostage' rested his hand on his gun and crushed his weapon in a vice-grip, reducing it to mangled scrap without a single warning so casually it almost seemed surreal - especially when the man tore the defunctionalized weapon off of the villain's hand with no effort.

""..."" The two heroes gawked at the scarlet-haired man in disbelief, slacked jaws almost hitting the floor. The man just crumbled the weapon as if it was paper and turned it into useless trash.

"Come again?" The 'hostage' asked, letting the mauled pistol fall to the concrete before tensing his fingers to the point of veins protruding from his skin.

"Uh…"

* * *

"[Today, another body pile appeared in Hosu, stacked by none other than the Hero Hunter himself! B-But this time, there villains included in the pile!]"

Switching channel.

"[The scene is just as brutal as his debut, but only for the villain side! I thought the Hero Hunter hunts only villains, yet-]

Switching.

"[Look at their state! The Hero Hunter seemed especially cruel to these villains for some reason!]"

On the screen, every citizen could see the mangled human pretzels that were the villains terrorizing Hosu, their states painful to the eyes and spirits of all ages, alongside the heroes as well, but especially the state of the villains.

Izuku and his mother gawked at the screen, this time, less horrified than the first time they've seen the Hero Hunter's debut. Izuku didn't expect to see Villains added to the body pile, using the Hero Hunter's track record as his basis.

Today was the first The Hero Hunter added Villains in his crosshairs, though the state of the villains was perhaps more brutal than what he did to the heroes. Garou reduced many of the villains into literal human pretzels, limbs forcibly entangled together in a cruel pose designed to maximize their torment.

In the hospital, the emaciated hero gaped at the screen, surprised to see Garou striking again so soon, although he was even more surprised at the sight of villains added to the pile.

"What are you fighting for, Garou?" All Might mumbled to himself as he cupped his chin in musing.

A man antagonistic to heroes just as much as villains, his violence almost seemed indiscriminate, but he could sense an invisible theme behind it, something All Might could not decipher behind the curtain of his actions.

But one fact was certain, Garou was not a genuine villain. Upon further rumination, Toshinori realized that Garou had never killed any of the heroes he hunted unlike a sure Hero Killer roaming loose in Japan. Not only that, Garou possessed one aspect almost all villains lack:

 _Honour_.

It was the first time in his entire life to encounter someone he was determined to arrest who actually spared him, and that same man stacked another bloody body pile of villains mixed in with the heroes.

Still, All Might can't help but wonder if Garou habitually enjoyed piling the bodies of his victims in such a grandiose fashion.

In another home, Tenya Iida and his family, all of whom sat at their family living room staring at their plasma screen television, paled at the sight of another body pile behind the screen in Hosu. Iida especially dreaded the return of the Hero Hunter, his worry for his big brother, Tensei Iida, began to stockpile.

"[One of the villains is waking up! Look! He's crawling out of the pile!]"

The female news reporter with brown bob hair shouted, aiming her microphone at the villain, the one with a crimson clown mask, as the villain painfully undid the pretzel hold Garou forced upon his being. The sharp sounds of cracking bone reached the reporter's ears as well as the audio receptors of the camera, allowing the rest of Japan to know the agony of the villain. The listeners can almost feel his suffering, wincing at the sound with great sympathy.

"[Yeeeaaaaaaaauuuuuuuugh! My arms! Agggggh!]" The villain wailed in misery as his bones agonizingly cracked back into position, and then attempted to crawl away from the body pile. Tears could be seen streaming down past the outer rims of his mask in his attempts to flee from a phantom horror; an unseeable terror embossed into his psyche.

"[...oh god, this is even worse than the last time.]" The reporter reported slightly unprofessionally, the memory of the first hero crying out for mercy from a body pile still fresh in her mind.

The viewers could testament her claims as well, sympathizing with her feelings. Although this time it was a villain instead of a hero crawling and wailing. No one cared for the villains in the end, however.

"[H-Help me… Somebody help.]" Another crawled away from the pile, wearing the same blood-red mask as the first.

"[My legs… I can't feel my legs.]" A third followed suit as the first two, only this one's legs bent in the wrong angle, in a direction opposite that of the usual.

The reporter and cameraman simultaneously grimaced at the brutal sight.

"[F-From what we've seen so far, the Hero Hunter showed even less mercy with the villains than with the heroes. His updated spectrum of targets has shone a new light of perspective on the mysterious man. Which begs the question, is his hate for villains greater than that for the heroes? Only time will tell until then.]"

"Seriously? Now he's adding villains to the pile?" In the home of Katsuki Bakugou, the self-proclaimed future Number One Hero ruggedly sat cross-legged on the couch, watching the news with a sense of intrigue and belittlement.

"You hunt heroes, but now you also hunt villains? What's the logic behind this, huh?" He scoffed but grinned from entertaining a thought. If he managed to defeat this Garou, assuming that All Might wouldn't, the authenticity of his destiny to become the Number One Hero will solidify, and ensure his road to success. He grinned at his delusional vision, the sight of him rising to the number one spot and receiving the praise and fame he deserved.

In another abode, one of traditional Japanese architecture, Japan's Number Two Hero, Endeavour, watched with a vicious smile stretching his lips, flames bursting from his brows and mustache upon seeing the pile of bodies appear in Hosu.

A challenge presented itself before him, one that could bring him glory if he succeeded in this endeavor - an endeavor that could bring him closer to reaching the Number One Hero's level.

Watching from the open doorway, his son, Todoroki Shouto, attended with a mix of interest and spite, the first at the mention of another body pile appearing in Hosu again while the later was directed towards his abusive father - abhorring his obsessive nature.

While despising him, Todoroki can't help but worry for the future. With someone like the Hero Hunter capable of defeating so many heroes on his own set free upon Japan, he wondered if he could handle this Villain with his Quirk. He asked himself what he should do if Garou ever set his sights on Endeavour, and then him next? He cannot imagine himself capable of fighting someone of the Hero Hunter's caliber just yet until he acquired the full scope of his abilities.

Among the villains, however, Garou's actions drastically altered Evil's collective viewpoint on his alignment. Every one of them believed Garou to be a villain, someone fighting for their side. They were wrong, however, now comparing him to a certain Hero Killer that despised villains as much as Heroes but more defined in his occupation.

Unlike Stain, something about Garou sets him apart from the other villains that came before him. His case was the first of its kind; he openly hunted groups of Heroes without a second thought on the consequences. The way he took down his prey en masse and piled monuments of his victory with the bodies of his victims as his brick painted his image to that of a Hunter's from the way he constructed trophies of his prey. Amongst the Villains was a hunter, A Hunter Amongst Villains, a title that the Villains gave to the first outcast that can stand against the oppression of modern society unchallenged.

* * *

Exploring Hosu on foot again, a map spread wide in his hand, Garou continued walking through the streets undeterred, the roads evacuated by the heroes during his 'education' of the villains. He did not plan to hunt the heroes that were present, but they, for some reason, decided to interfere as if they could stop him. They now joined the body pile as their penance, in the end, caked in trash and filth Garou collected to add salt to their wounded pride along with their actual wounds - he didn't care if some of the filth landed on the villains' injuries or if it infected them in the end. That was how worthless the villains were in his eyes.

In any case, looking up from his map, Garou saw a playground accompanied by a nearby school building: a swing set, a polychromatic mini-slide palace, horizontal ladder, etc.

Garou mused at the sight of the playground; this one bore more equipment than that of which he and Tatsurou usually meet back in his world. Garou typically talked with the kid and sometimes gather information on the heroes from his Hero glossary. Thinking about the boy, Garou wondered how he was doing back there. He hoped he was doing well without him.

As his eyes perused the playground as the evening sun slowly hiding under the blanket of the horizon, orange land slowly losing its light, Garou caught sight of a familiar face, one he didn't expect to see again ever since he left that person's home, especially at such late hours.

The Shrimp called Ghin was sitting on one of the swings, looking down sullen and sad. The silver-haired boy surrounded himself with gloom, a sadness that matched the theme of the waning sun.

Curious to know Ghin's being here, Garou walked over to him across the unembossed stone floor, seating himself on the empty swingset beside him.

"Yo."

Hearing a sudden, familiar voice, the boy perked his head up and turned towards the source, and widened his eyes upon seeing a familiar face.

"G-G-Garou?!" Ghin almost shouted, jumping from his seat only to fall on his buttocks in his frantic scurrying away.

"Saw me on the news?" Garou joked, lightening the atmosphere with a slight chuckle, dimming the boy's caution as the kid picked himself up to his feet.

"Y-Yeah… you're not going to hunt me, are you?" Ghin asked, his voice almost a whimper, evidently terrified of his presence.

"I don't hunt brats. Just heroes… and sometimes villains." Garou shrugged, watching the boy seating himself back on the swing slowly after grasping the dangling chains - his caution slowly bleeding away by the casual ambiance. After all, Garou did save him from villains, despite his brutal capacity for violence.

"O-Okay… why are you here again?" The boy asked, sideways glancing Garou with confusion.

"Well, I'm looking for a quiet place to train. Got bored with the heroes here, so I decided to invest my time in something more… challenging," Garou shrugged with nonchalance.

"Eh?" Ghin turned his head to the man sitting next to him.

"You got bored with the heroes? What do you mean?"

The boy almost sounded as if curious of Garou's acumen on the heroes he faced.

"They're so damn weak, I feel cheated, to be honest. I mean, all of the heroes I faced back home were Quirkless, but here? It's ironic that those with superpowers are weaker than those without them, you know?" Garou scoffed, almost as if airing his grievances to the boy.

As for Ghin, he looked at Garou with fascination; childish curiosity started to swell within, his silver ahoge began to wag from side to side slowly.

"So… are you planning to face All Might?" Ghin asked, wondering if Garou would hunt even the Number One Hero as well.

"Already faced him."

"Eh?"

That was an answer he did not expect.

"W-Wait, if you faced All Might, then did you?!"

If Garou spoke the truth, and he was here talking about it, then that would mean…

"I wouldn't count his defeat as a win. I hunt heroes, not patients," Garou shook his head.

"P-Patients?" Ghin tilted his head.

"Turns out he was injured before I faced him. It looked serious, yet he still chose to fight with that handicap. I don't know whether he's fanatically dedicated or just virtuously stupid. No idea how severe his wound is, but if he kept this up, his wound would permanently depart him from heroism."

Silence dominated the air, the boy dropping his jaw at the words spouted from the man's mouth, not sure whether to take heed or dismiss his words as truth or false boasts.

"...so you beat All Might?" Ghin timidly asked, wanting verification on his victory.

"Yeah, I beat him. I only regretted not facing All Might at full strength though. He better heal or else I will retire him from heroism forever myself." Garou glowered at the empty air before him, still livid at All Might for handicapping himself.

"HAH?! You beat All Might?! Seriously?! HIM?!" Ghin's jaw dropped, eyes wider than dinner plates as all color left his being from abject surprise.

"B-But he's the Number One Hero! The undefeatable champion of justice!"

"Nothing's undefeatable. It just means his enemies are just too weak for him," Garou scoffed at the kid's biased views.

"B-but… wow."

Color slowly returned to the boy, his complexion a healthy beige as stars started to fill his eyes.

"...are you sure you're Quirkless?" Ghin asked.

"There's no such thing as Quirks where I'm from, Shrimp. I thought I told you that already."

'Shrimp?' Ghin tilted his head at his new nickname for a moment.

"Okay… but, how'd you beat him?" Ghin asked, his silver ahoge wagging faster and faster in synch with his growing excitement, like a child listening to an exciting bedtime story.

"I fought him in one-on-one, and I beat him."

Ghin's eyes widen with respect and wonder.

"S-So you're stronger than All Might now?" Ghin asked to elucidate.

"Tsk, a _weakened_ All Might, yes. I want to fight him at full strength." Garou rolled his eyes, still bitter about the state of the Number One Hero.

"O-Ohhhhh… without any Quirk?" Ghin asked.

"Yes, _without_ a Quirk." Garou sighed, not sure how many times he had to repeat himself for the boy to fully receive the message. The common sense of 'power equals Quirks' was too strong here.

"Um… what did you do to All Might when you beat him? Did you add him to a body pile? Did you turn him into a human pretzel as you did with Crimson Riot?" Ghin asked, smiling even wider when he mentioned the state of Crimson Riot.

"I left him be."

"...huh?" The boy blinked, picking his ear with his pinky to clean out the metaphorical earwax.

"Did you say you left him alone? I thought you enjoy sending people to hospitals," Ghin accused based on Garou's infamous record, never bothering to finish any heroes he hunted and sent them to the hospitals instead.

"I'll pretend that I didn't hear that. But yes, I didn't send him to the hospital." Garou felt offended by the boy's claim.

"...why?" A valid question Ghin asked.

"Isn't it obvious? I want to hunt heroes at their best, otherwise, hunting them is meaningless."

"Ohhhhhh."

Ghin's respect for Garou escalated even higher upon discovering Garou's code of honor.

"Now that I think about it know any quiet places I can settle in, Shrimp?" Garou asked, returning to his original objective.

"U-Um." The boy paused, eyes veered heavenward in contemplation.

"T-There are many quiet places in Hosu. My neighborhood is amongst the quietest in a sense, hahaha," Ghin chuckled.

"Oh. Know a place I can stay then?" If there were a place that Garou would mark his territory, here could be ideal, a pleasant, quiet land free from distractions.

"Well… do you have a preference?" Ghin asked with childish curiosity.

"Don't know, but somewhere far away and quiet could do. Away from prying eyes."

"Well, my Aunty owns the apartment building, and it is quiet. Though there are no tenants due to the threat of villain attacks there." Ghin hung his head dejectedly.

"Oh…" Garou almost forgot about the villains that tried to abduct him.

"Remind me again, why were there villains trying to abduct you when I… arrived?" Garou asked, curious to the sequence of events that lead up to him accidentally murdering a bunch of inhuman villains.

"...my Aunty's a lawyer, a good one. She is a diligent warrior of the law, or so she says. She's now taking care of me."

"And being a lawyer is credence enough to abduct you?" Garou could not parse the logic behind it.

"Well, right now she is trying to uncover the corruption in the Hero System, trying to sue the guys responsible for assigning heroes to specific locations and stuff. She is charging them with bribery and murder… well, she didn't consider that the opposition might play dirty, it seems." Ghin gave a sarcastic chuckle at the end.

"Oh… Ohhhhhhhhhh." Garou now understood the reason behind his abduction.

Still…

"How many times did villains try to abduct you?" Garou wondered how much trouble even a young kid could endure from villains and criminal scum.

"...three times. The first time I was rescued by a hero. The second, I managed to run away. The third, you." Tears started to stream from his eyes; the boy rubbed them to dry him of said tears, not wanting to break down into sobs.

"Damn." Even Garou felt sympathy for the kid. His childhood was harsher than he expected.

"Does your Aunt know about this?" If she didn't, Garou would personally pay the lawyer a brutal visit for extreme negligence.

"...yes. She apologized many times after you left, but she cannot come back home. Being a lawyer is very tough, always having to stay at work most of the time." The boy sounded as if he was losing faith in society as a whole.

"Huh." Garou had no words to say.

"...you said your place has no tenants?" Garou asked, an idea forming in his head. Though it might be a bit shameless in the end, he admitted, but he needed a guide, a native to assist and advise him on the geography and history of this world. Someone to help his way through the New Earth he stumbled in.

"...yeah. They are afraid that the villain attacks might involve them, even though the rent is cheap," Ghin nodded, still sullen.

"Heh. You sound like you could use a bodyguard or something." Garou joked, brightening up the atmosphere with a chuckle.

"...yeah…" Ghin chuckled as well, swept along with Garou's sense of humor.

A warm silence dawned over them like a shroud, the two enjoying the peaceful ambiance of the quietness.

"...well, I'm not sure if I can hire you as a bodyguard though. I mean, you're the Hero Hunter. The guy who piles bodies for fun." Ghin joked back as well, slowly bonding with the man that loved to hunt heroes and put them in body piles.

"Hah, and this Hero Hunter can pile bodies of villains just as good." Garou joked back.

The boy's frown reversed to a smile, his sullen mood uplifting with the corner of his lips.

"...will you really help me?" The boy turned to the left, looking at Garou with eager, hopeful eyes.

"Give me a place to stay, and I might consider it."

* * *

 **Here it is, another thing. Well, for those who want to see my other fics like the Fist of the Hero God or UNSC Ga Kill!, know that my co-writers for those series died on me, and I am in need of new co-writers for them hahaha.**

 **I hope you don't mind the OC anyways since I cannot imagine Garou even liking Izuku. Anyways, planning to write another fanfic, but my knowledge is almost nil in one of the series. Basically, an OPM and Highschool DxD fanfic. Might need someone capable, to be honest. Anyways, enjoy.**


	5. Chapter 5: The Calm

"U-Um, Aunty is away, G-Garou-san. S-She won't b-be home for a month or t-two."

The nervous, shy boy said as he leads Garou into his home once again. His room was less blemishing compared to before: Wallpapers unpeeled and intact, furniture upright and proper, the broken microwave replaced, a working fridge, and more.

"Huh." All in all, Garou absorbed the true glory of the boy's home, unsullied by the dirt and touch of raiders. He nodded in approval to the large, simple room.

"Got a room for me?" All he needed was a bed and some space, along with a wardrobe for a potential change of clothes as well.

"W-Well, no. I-I mean, I cannot clear a room for you or Aunty will find out." Ghin shook his head. The boy did not want to risk his exposure to the higher authorities, especially his aunt.

"Good point," Garou noted the boy's loyalty.

Looking around, Garou noticed a room, a door with the poster of All Might pinned onto the mahogany door. The door was open, the interior revealed, a sanctuary full of hero action figures atop a desk near a white, unruffled bed. However, every one of them collected dust, a sign of long disuse.

"You a hero fan?" Garou did not mind. He could put his knowledge on heroes to good use in the end.

The boy blushed in response, shyly looking away. "Well… kind of." Garou did not press further on his preferences.

He looked at the other rooms, leaning his head forward for a better view, either seeing them empty or filled to the brim - one of which he assumed belonged to the boy's supposed 'Aunty.'

"Where do you sleep if not your room?"

"E-Eh? How'd you know?!" Ghin asked, confused and surprised to hear Garou's question.

"Your bed's too neat. Perfect even." His bed was nearly untouched, too immaculate, like a bed from a hotel room waiting to receive arriving guests.

Turning away from his new 'bodyguard,' Ghin shuffled his feet with some shame, "U-Um, I usually s-sleep on the roof."

His unexpected answer threw Garou off slightly. "The roof?" Of all the answers, that wasn't one of Garou's predictions.

"M-Mhm. I like to sleep under the starry skies," Ghin nodded timidly.

Now that caught Garou's attention.

"Really? Why sleep out in the unprotected air?" Garou could understand the appeal of sleeping outside of nature sometimes, but this seemed more than just mere adoration for the natural world.

"M-My papa was an Astrologist. H-He usually took mama and me out for camping once every month to stargaze out in the national park…" His voice started to break for a second before recapturing its composure, but Garou did not miss the disruption of tone.

"What happened to them?" Garou asked as the word 'was' did not correspond to his liking.

"..." The boy looked down; his eyes started to tremble.

The hunter did not need a concise answer. Now he understood why he lived with his Aunt and not his parents. "You don't have to say it."

Another silent pause, the boy nodded in understanding.

"...do you want takeout for dinner?" Ghin asked, wiping the tears from his eyes before forcing a cheery smile past his cheeks.

"How much can you afford?"

Ghin blinked upon hearing his odd question, "U-Um, Aunty left me a hefty allowance so-"

"As much as you can. For three people at least."

Ghin blinked upon the interrupting demand, "Eh? Seriously?"

Garou did not look like as if he was joking.

"I-I-ahem… Chinese, Seafood, or American?"

"All of them."

"Huh?" His hunger defied the boy's expectations.

"Are you human?" No average human could consume such amounts unless they had a Quirk.

Garou responded with a 'hmph,' "Yeah. Why?"

"I… never mind. I'll make the call," Ghin shook his mind clear of the stockpiling questions boiling within and walked towards the phone, questions he will air out for another day.

* * *

After the villain-hero pile incident, various controversies erupted around Japan on his alignment. While it was true that villains antagonistic to other villains existed, when placing Hero Hunter as the topic of conversation, verbal debates furiously rippled throughout every corner of Japan, from the mouths of heroes, civilians, and even villains.

Most of the heroes debated how they should avoid the Hero Hunter or apprehend the polarizing villain, with more heroes on the side to elude the hero-hunting demon. Little did Garou know, he already became the Symbol of Fear for the modern heroes despite his current level. There were even a few heroes that considered retiring from the hero profession entirely just to avoid the Hero Hunter.

However, compared to the heroes, the response was more polarizing from the villains. One group admired the violence and brutality of Garou, some even attempting to recreate the body piles Garou left in his wake at this time. Another group held nothing but disdain, feeling betrayed by Garou's including villains in his crosshairs - their expectations shot down the moment he added fellow outcasts into his spectrum of prey. Some of them considered hunting the Hero Hunter down to avenge their fallen compatriots despite the risks.

As for the civilians, the parents of their respective children were torn between sending their children to Hero School and forbidding them from attending. Garou's hunts impacted parents the most, planting fear into their hearts with pictorial possibilities of their children joining the pile of bodies along with the heroes. But, despite the grievances of the parents, the next generation still wished to follow through with their becoming the heroes of their respective dreams.

One of the next generations was currently engaging with their parents concerning her future. Uraraka turned to her parents; her dimpled features huffed as she stood before them, staunch in her decision.

"Mama! Papa! You two can't change my mind anymore! I'm still going to UA!"

The young girl defended her dream, despite the threat of Garou looming overhead, blanketing the future of heroes with unimagined perils.

The father and mother gently smiled, masking their worry behind the benign veneer.

"Ochako… are you sure about this?" The mother asked, wanting confirmation in her choice of a career in spite of the dangers it carried.

"We are worried for you, Ochako. Mama and Papa don't want you to risk your life for us. We are doing fine as it is." The father relayed.

However, despite their attempts, their daughter responded with wide eyes burning with determination. She was still devoted to walking the dangerous road, even though it was no longer the same, safe road for young minds to reach their dreams.

"I'll be fine! Please wish me good luck." Ochako smiled, flashing her pearly whites. Her heartwarming smile melted the hearts of her parents, along with their resistance.

Arguments between parent(s) and child also happened to others around Japan. A particular rich girl with the ability to create anything from her body fat was fiercely debating with her parents on her enrollment to UA. A particular living bomb engaged in verbal combat with his mother, adamantly staunch in his career choice. Even a certain concerned mother tried her best to convince her formerly Quirkless son to abstain, not wanting her child to appear in a body pile, broken in mind, body, and soul.

If their fears remain unassuaged, it will consume the hero system like the cold of night preying on a dying campfire. Fear is contagious, one of the most influential driving forces of life, and worse, it takes no sides - be it good or evil.

The ones living on the other side of the coin reacted differently.

"An acting coward dares to mock my crusade?" Holding the latest newspaper, looking at the Hero Hunter section with disdain, the crimson-themed killer of Heroes growled in rasps, teeth trembling and eyes wildly twitching with infuriated mania. The Hero Killer, Stain, started and trended the hunt of heroes long before this pitiful excuse of a hunter even started, and yet this newcomer took over the attention of Japan by a storm, sweeping his existence aside like trash.

Worse, the Hero Killer discerned a fact hidden behind the maelstrom savagery: Garou had not taken a single life with his hands despite being capable of defeating so many. Stain thought he finally found a sympathizer and would be more than elated to invite him to his cause if it weren't for this inkling.

From this alone, he could draw only one conclusion. Garou had no desire to cleanse the world of weak heroes, just to break down the worth and value of heroism entirely without any regard for the consequences.

As for a certain archnemesis of the Symbol of Peace, he smiled at the progress of this individual while his faceless 'gaze' focused on the television screen. Listening to the reporter, All For One pondered on this one's potential, considering what he should do if he managed to turn this successful hunter into his fold.

While he did took in an heir to pass his Quirk onto, the purpose behind his chose was to fashion an infectious knife to carve and infect All Might's image and spirit. However, he would prefer someone more capable should Tomura indeed fail to live up to his expectations. While it is in human nature to bestow one's strength to the next generation, it is also in a human's nature to replace what one has for something better, something more ideal. All For One was reconsidering his choice of successor behind the descendant of the previous wielder of One For All.

Another fact that the ageless villain discovered was that this one shares Tomura's age. He can discern Garou's age from his experience, his years of observation of newer generations of villains making their debut, the accumulated knowledge and data more than enough to conjecture Garou's age. Although, Garou's personality still eluded him, his character and behavior quite a unique specimen, an anomaly that required further study.

As for the Heir of All For One, his eyes glared at the wall of snipped newspapers, all sections about the feats of the Hero Hunter and the impact they brought to the Hero Community. He scowled at the articles, feeling threatened by Garou's growing infamy.

Next to the snippets was a corrupted image of Garou, blood warping the hunter's image and red filtering the view. A demonic portrayal of Garou in its most potent, a shadowed demon from hell naturally complementing the red environ. Tomura slammed his palm on the red poster, four of his five fingers pressed on the paper, the remaining appendage threatening to make contact.

He was livid, furious at the Hero Hunter. This nameless upstart managed to steal a head start, a lead in the race to become the next Kingpin of the underworld. On the one hand, the urge to hunt down this Garou and decay his body to ash was enticing, something he would more than gladly oblige. On the other, the villains will lose a valuable asset, a card against the Symbol of Peace.

Tomura gritted his teeth, wanting to murder this Garou with his own hands, but considered otherwise. His lips curled into a grin, entertaining a thought. The secret weapon his Sensei was funding… what would happen if he pits this flawless Anti-All-Might and Garou against All Might? Witnessing All Might's unsightly demise supersede his desire to maim this Symbol of Fear.

After all, the road to becoming an icon of fear was not his desire - only the apex of evil will catch his eye.

* * *

"Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu~"

Atop the roof, exhaling a deep breath with the sun soaring behind him with turtle-like grace and painting his world in the orange of dawn, Garou immersed himself in his mental world, meditating half naked with only the skin of his baggy pants with intense focus.

Seated cross-legged, The Hero Hunter drifted away from the material world to submerge into the darkest corners of his mind, emptying himself of distractions in his training.

Within his inner world, he visualized the two apex grandmasters that defeated him before his arrival, simulating phantom combat between him and them. He envisioned all possible methods of victory over the two geezers; his sole goal is to surpass them and achieve the perfect form he desired ever since small.

However, he cannot defeat them, simulated or real. No matter the number of his attempts, he could only see his disgraceful defeat in two on one, but the further down his efforts, the more he overwhelmed them in his simulacrum.

He was growing in power the more he fights, stronger when nearer with Death. Not only did each imaginary battle further pushed him further to his potential, but also past the ubiquitous limit to the great power that lies on the other side.

Done with visual training, for now, Garou opened his eyes, gazing at the shadow elongated by the sun behind.

"How long are you going to watch?"

The person Garou was referring to flinched behind the door, slowly poking his head out the exit door frame, his silver ahoge wagging side by side like the tail of a puppy.

"..."

The boy did not respond with words, but with curious eyes.

Garou sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose, "What do you eat for breakfast, anyway?"

Ghin blinked as he pondered, "Usually eggs and rice or cereal and waffles. Sometimes ramen, sometimes rice with meat and veggies."

Garou considered the choices, "I want some ramen along with some meat."

Nodding, the boy ran back downstairs to his home floor, eager to prepare the dish for his bodyguard and guest.

He ran out to the kitchen and started the stove, filled a pan in the sink, and placed it over the active burner, letting the flame warm and boil the cold liquid. The boy then proceeded to grab bags of ramen and retrieve the vegetables and meat from the fridge, readying the breakfast for the two of them.

While the boy prepared the breakfast, Garou landed on the couch in the living room, grabbed a remote and turned on the plasma screen TV. What brand the television belonged to, Garou did not know, but considering the screen's high-def quality, it must be very costly.

The first channel, the cooking show, greeted him. Garou immediately switched channels regardless. A cartoon show about All Might fighting villains blinked into the screen. Angry, Garou changed the channel again - and again.

However, most of the channels only slowly bled out his boredom and replaced it with frustration instead. The channels that greeted him were either mostly about interviews of heroes, communities promoting the fame of heroes, or shows below Garou's tolerance.

Upon landing on a news channel, Garou smirked with interest as he witnessed the current state of heroes in the hospital along with the gruesome fate of villains he maimed yesterday. The sight of broken bodies, for some reason, soothed his soul as he smiled wider upon watching their reaction to the interviewer's question on him, the one who personally sent them to those resting beds himself.

Most of them spoke with fear, others apprehension, a few unable to respond at all from abject terror. Garou chuckled at their reaction, and then he watched how the fanbase reacted to their heroes' current state.

A statistical analyst compiled the data from last week, speaking of a significant ten percent drop in sales of hero merchandise after the first body pile. Garou reveled the diagramed decrease of faithful hero supporters, of how mortified some fans were even to witness their idols' pitiful state.

However, there was a surprising lack of All Might within the news channel. Word of his defeat wasn't present within any topics so far.

Throwing his back on cushions back him, Garou grimaced at the absence of anything All-Might-related. "Did they conceal his defeat?"

Garou speculated that the loss of their so-called Number One Patient would carve out another severe wound from society's gestalt vision of heroes, though as for the magnitude Garou did not mull over. Now that Garou thought about it, what would happen if the world learned of his victory over the muscled hero? Garou imagined chaos and anarchy deluging the streets: Quirk users rampaging and attacking civilians, many robberies taking place, victims piling by the storm, and more using his encounter with scum in Hosu as his reference.

"It better not be too noisy," Garou uttered with displeasure.

The world better not descend into too much chaos before Garou achieved his end goal.

"G-Garou-san, breakfast's ready!"

A gurgling rumble responded in the living room, a sound that did not reach the boy's ears.

"Sweet."

Closing the TV, Garou hopped off his seat and casually strolled into the kitchen.

A large, hot steaming bowl of noodles standing atop the tablecloth greeted him, the scent actually tantalizing to his nose. Accompanying the main dish, bowls of beef and chicken, as well as plates of vegetables, surrounded it, forming a simple but fulfilling meal for a stomach of his size.

Moving to his seat with his smaller bowl of soup noodles, Ghin started to dig, pulling several slivers of ramen to his mouth before he slurped them down his throat.

Not hearing the usual 'itadakimasu,' Garou threw one of his chopsticks at the boy, the wooden stick bouncing off his hard head before coming back to his hand.

"Pay your respects before eating," Garou lectured, the boy rubbing his head with a whimper before nodding in forced compliance.

Seeing him say 'itadakimasu,' Garou then paid his respects with his 'itadakimasu,' and proceeded to slurp grouping strands into his mouth - as Ghin watched and mimicked his actions timidly, stuffing his cheeks full.

"Umm," he spoke with his mouth full, "are you planning to hunt more heroes today?"

"Maybe. I want to explore the land, though." Garou replied with his mouth also full.

"Got any interesting places?" Garou asked before gulping.

* * *

Fuai Serif was one of the Administrators behind the Hero Community, a manager of the Department's Strategic and Target Oriented Patrol Plan. He was responsible for assigning both heroes and police to specific locations, schedule patrol routes for the less popular and effective heroes along with police officers and accountable for cataloging the crime rates in each section of Japan.

His face belonged to that of a kind man, the one that would feed the birds every day with a warm smile and eyes closed. His figure was stout, but his belly bulged the white under cloth beneath his suit, indicating slight levels of obesity. His hair was absent from his balding dome, old age already bedecking white strands into his black eyebrows and beard, and wrinkles sloughing his smooth face pulled down by hands of decay.

However, behind his facade was a rotten, vile thing, something that belonged to somewhere trash belonged to, where others must throw him to erase from their memories. Something even most villains would smite if given a chance if they knew of his true nature.

He was one of the Union's loyal seed, a manipulator of strings to secure trading routes and silence curious eyes to ensure the security of the dark side - one of the critical figures allowing the transport of illegal goods like villain costumes and even the materials needed to sustain a certain All For One. How else could Villains obtain products under the nose of heroes if not from someone on the inside aiding them?

For years, he leaked information to the leading villain organizations: which heroes assigned to which route, allocating schedules and create gaps in their patrols so smugglers can slip past them undetected, and even committed blackmail and ordered assassinations to ensure tight lips on his job.

Not only that, he had a terrible reputation of… forcing himself upon the opposite sex, the stronger-minded the more he desired to break. He was sadistically fond of abusing and violating the innocent, even once had his way with a tender soul not even reaching the age of six, before he erased the memory of his victims with his Quirk.

His Quirk, "Mind Wipe," allowed him to erase the memories of others by at most a few days - the number of usages being twice a day. However, he cannot use the Quirk on the same target twice; thus he could not reuse his victims lest he dug his own grave in his ignorance.

However, evidence of his misdeeds slowly leaked drip by drip, the droplets forming a puddle in the soil and dangerously close to filling the pond. The leak took the form of an irksome investigator that somehow obtained some evidence of his misdeeds, an accomplishment which leads to said person's assassination. But, to Fuai's dismay, he left a trail that leads to his current situation, him enduring a severe case regarding his involvement of the assassination.

The Union he worked for only left him with a few options to salvage the situation, his standing placed in jeopardy within this debacle. If he cannot absolve his dilemma adequately, the Union will silence him forever and leave no trace of his corpse. Thus, the sequence of events lead to his resorting to covert abduction and blackmail, but his attempts were… undesirable. The first attempted ended with a hero managing to catch wind of the kidnapping, the second, using a 'nanny' to babysit the boy, lead to him escaping the villain in disguise - the boy proving more cunning than he thought - and managed to contact a hero to arrest the second kidnapper and the third…

News of his mercenaries' deaths had recently reached his ears, a gory scene depicting a butcher from hell to mutilate the sinners limb-by-limb, deaths so graphic not even the stoutest, most hardened hearts would remain unfazed at the savagery. The only witness there was the very boy they were sent to abduct, and his story was absurdly unrealistic, speaking of a man falling from the sky covered in blood and tearing his hired hand to pieces.

Such a claim was beyond surreal, yet in the world of Quirks, it corresponds to the realm of possibilities nonetheless. Still, for Fuai's third attempt to fail by what anyone could accurately describe as an 'act of God,' it only fueled his frustrations past the boiling point and near the melting one.

As for his opponent, Tsukihana Shinjitsu held an annoying talent for the law, along with an equally bothersome Quirk. Her tongue can help amplify the persuasive effects of her words, better sway the court into her favor. It cannot perform superhuman feats like convincing someone to commit suicide with just an utter, but, if used with the right words, she can sway even the most obstinate soul to her side if her skill with the tongue was enough.

However, it was not without weakness. Her Quirk functions by amplifying the effects of her speech to those that listened, meaning her Quirk will not work on anyone antagonistic to her or neutral. If one was aware of her Quirk, the effects lessen with that knowledge alone. The key concept behind her Quirk is refining the vision of authenticity, not forcing it upon the minds it touched. She cannot force its effects like with Fuai's, giving her credence enough to work in her complicated profession.

Not only that, despite her Quirk, she had built a growing reputation in her line of work, earning the trust of her clients and the government itself - a crusader of sorts determined to purge all corruption and malevolence infecting modern society.

A dangerous foe with promise, someone that can rise high in the justice world, but she was still young and vulnerable; she does have weaknesses, one of which was the nephew of her beloved older sister.

The man now spoke with All For One via cell phone, untraceable, in his private room of desk and books shrouded in the shade, "Yes, but… alright. In any case, I understand your position, though still… what? You have?"

Fuai gritted his teeth in his chair.

"Alright… I understand."

He hung up, gritting his teeth in anger.

"After working hard for him, and the Union, after working my back off to bring that faceless freak the tools needed even to survive all this time, they think they can replace me? ME?!" Fuai roared throwing his phone at the wall, splitting into parts on contact.

"I'm the one keeping tabs on the heroes and their patrols! I'm the eyes and ears that warns the darkness of the light! And yet, they think their eyes and ears can be so easily replaced?!" Fuai ranted his grievances, unable to tolerate his position.

His imagination ran wild, corrupted by a mix of rage and depraved lust, a silver-haired young woman bound and helpless before his encroaching wrath. Drool started to slick from his lip's corners before suddenly returning inside with a slurp.

The pig in human form submerged himself in his idle fantasies as he pondered on possible paths to overcoming and subjugating his foe, but no matter what, he still couldn't think of anything else. He cannot touch nor harm Tsukihana, unable to sabotage her agency due to heavy security of heroes and the plethora of witnesses, and he was on the defensive against her.

Still, no matter what he conjured, he couldn't find a solution other than hostage… wait, an idea had popped up. Desecrate her home and burn it down along with the boy? What if he could break her spirit instead with murdering a young child?

He was surprised that he hadn't thought of it before. Maybe murdering children was his limit, a line no one should cross, but that no longer mattered. His life dangled on a thin, fragile thread, his only way up threatening to snap. No more room remained for mistakes, only success - do or die, as they said.

"I wonder what hired hands Giren has available for me" He must work fast. The woman was gaining more and more ground by the day.

* * *

 **The author here: Sorry for lack of updates. RL is taking a toll, and I am trying to defeat it. Think I'm good for now and can write some more. Also, helping a guy become an author. Taking some time with him and such while practicing my writing skills and refining my habits. Planning another fic, an Overlord X Fairy Tail fanfic. Might take a while though, since I am looking for a Fairy Tail expert and such. Anyways, hope to see you guys again.**


	6. Chapter 6: Different Beginnings

**Yeah, sorry. Had trouble trying to find the right way to integrate an OC here without making him too out of place. But I decided to risk it nonetheless and let the reviews criticize my lackings. Anyways, here it is.**

* * *

The last of the three potential locations laid outside the outskirts of Hosu, far, far away - a mountain of considerable size, surpassing the height of even the Old Fart's place. A monolithic pillar of dirt, sand, and stone chiseled by the hands of nature, the design loyal to the aesthetic of nature. If Garou had to estimate the approximate, it was somewhere around twenty to thirty percent taller in height, the superior imposing size tickling Garou's fancy.

It was ideal. Far away from the distractions of civilization, the air very pristine, and a vast expanse of land, there was nothing more Garou requested.

Nothing can find him here, shielded from nuisances that might come his way. He could only smile at the sight, despite the mountain bringing in somewhat unpleasant memories of his time in the Old Fart's dojo. Nonetheless, that dojo was the place where he learned how to fight, his beginning.

"Quite big," Garou praised, marveling the large outcrop of dirt and sandstone.

Garou never knew a mountain like this could exist adjacent to a quiet town, though this strange world held a wondrous charm for subverting his expectations.

"Papa liked to hike outdoors. The higher places are the best to look at the stars."

"Hoh." If he could, Garou wanted to meet this guy one day to thank him in person though it might take a _very_ long while before he could.

"He seems like an interesting man."

Ghin smiled, feeling warm by the Hunter's complement.

"He said it's like reaching the heavens whenever he climbed. He sometimes takes us with him to climb the big rocks. I… miss him."

Head hung low, Ghin snuffed, tears threatening to leak past the eyelids.

His sadness was apparent, as tangible as the solid earth underneath them. Reaching a hand, Garou gently patted his head and consoled.

His actions worked to an extent, comforting the kid's spirit as his tears slowly dried.

"May I meet him one day?" Garou asked.

Wiping his tears with his sleeve, released, Ghin nodded with a more cheerful grin.

"Mmmm!"

The heavy air cleared, both Hunter and boy looked at the mountain again as the awkward silence took hold once more.

"So… what now?" The boy asked, his ahoge wagging in anticipation as he gazed up at his bodyguard.

"Simple. I'm gonna mark this as my territory." Garou smirked, his eyes remained glued to the mountain's peak; taking in the full view of beige mottled with nature's greenery nestling deep within the stone.

The boy blinked at Garou's declaration.

"You want to claim this land? I'm, well, not even sure if this land is private property, or if there is a deed of ownership, so-"

"My land."

The Hunter glared down at the boy, staunch in taking ownership of this place, undocumented or not.

"Ooookay…" His declaration stripped Ghin of any further retort from his throat.

"Don't judge me," Garou demanded.

"Okay, okay." Ghin backed off, raising his hands in mock surrender.

The quiet returned like a receding tide. The Hunter and Helper stood there, the first taking in the sight of the mountain and the latter staring at the strange creature that was his Quirkless bodyguard.

"So… what now? You gonna start camping out here or something?"

Garou turned to Ghin, a smile slowly growing.

"Still thinking on that, but I need some supplies. Do you still have your camping equipment from your younger years?"

Ghin pursed his lips. The Hero Hunter's choice of words indirectly painted him as an old man.

"Of course I do! And d-don't make it sound as if I'm old! I'm still nine!" Ghin pouted, pumping both arms up in adorable protest.

"Pfff." Garou nearly spurted out laughing.

"What's so funny?!" The kid shouted.

"You're finally acting your age, Shrimp."

The boy blinked before pouting at Garou.

"What do you mean!?"

"This is probably the first time I've seen you ticked." Most of the time the boy would timidly obey or shyly inspect him from afar, afraid to engage in any conversation whatsoever as far as he knew. He never knew how amusing the kid could be when befriended.

"Eh? Of course, I can be ticked. I may be a Quirkless boy but I can and will stand up for myself." His cheeks pouted even more.

"Yeah, yeah."

Amused, Garou turned back towards the mountain, a thought crossing his mind. He pondered the possibility of Quirkless heroes and the potential of the heroes here.

"Say… are there any cases of Quirkless heroes here?"

An odd question, the boy thought.

"What? No… wait, I think there's a Quirkless vigilante but… no, you'll most likely obliterate him. Probably in one shot." Ghin wondered, remembering there was a certain masked hero wielding brass knuckles as weapons before.

As for Garou, he was not surprised, but the disappointment still lingered. The concept of a Quirkless hero was almost Alien here. Back home, the ones he hunted and ones that hunted him provided more challenge than any of the ilk here could ever accomplish. Even the B-Class guy with the glasses proved more interesting than the heroes here, except All Might of course as the sole exception.

"Shame."

Garou could see more potential from those there than those here. They lack… substance, a defining foundation. An awkward atmosphere settled, now with little to no topics to cover anymore.

Garou's mind wandered to the next potential names of heroes to add his list. A guy that looked like he was spawned by a loser that decided to breed with a tree, some guy with Gatling guns attached to his wrists, a woman that can become giant, a pyro carbon copy of All Might…

He then recalled one guy that can erase Quirks with his gaze. Some promise, but considering his not-so-high standing in the Hero rankings, the guy must be weak. Now that he thought about it, that guy was also a teacher at some overrated school for heroes. He forgot the name since he disdained the concept of a hero school because it inundated the dangers of heroism given how the garbage performed so far.

"So… what is your school like?" Garou asked, now curious on the smaller parts of life, the normal aspects.

Ghin pursed his lips at the word 'school.' "It sucks."

Garou could relate to that feeling.

"Bullied?" Garou guessed.

"...yeah…" Ghin sulked, his head downcast.

"...is it because you're Quirkless?"

Ghin sulked even further. "...yes." His voice was now a whisper.

"Why don't you become strong then?" Garou suggested. To him, once obtaining strength, the vermin of life will not step in one's way, coming from his experience.

"I… I can't." Ghin shook his head.

"Why? There's no such thing as 'you can't.' Do or don't, there's no middle ground," Garou disproved.

"But…" Ghin looked up, tears shown from his eyes greeting Garou's own. "I'm not like you. I mean, I don't know where you're from, but I'm pretty sure I can't get whatever strength you have. I mean… I'm not special like you," Ghin melancholically shook his head.

Garou shrugged.

"Did anyone at least 'try?'"

"Yes-"

"No, not that 'try.' I mean, really _try_." Garou asked.

"Well… I don't know." The boy shrugged.

The awkward atmosphere dissipated, a calm wind arrived afterward, carrying stray leaves and loose dust. Now that he asked, Garou wondered: was this world cursed with weakness since birth, or was it the presence of Quirks hindered the human potential?

"Do you want to find out?" Garou asked, wanting to put this matter to the test.

Confusion sank into his ears, the words failing to reach his understanding. "Excuse me?"

Garou smirked, turning the rest of his body around to face the boy.

"I wasn't always strong, you know? When I was your age, I could barely hit twenty push-ups, and look at me now."

Reaching out, he outstretched a hand to the kid.

"Want to find out if the strength from my side cannot exist here yourself?" Garou asked encouragingly.

Confused, the boy hesitantly tried to speak up, but, as if his courage died down, he clogged the words in his throat. His head was turning away, Ghin's fingers clenched from uncertainty, eyes radiating his inner conflict.

Garou did not miss the subtle signs, the twitch of muscle and posture. He waited to see the boy's answer, but it seemed he still held himself back. The burdensome 'common sense' of being Quirkless chained his motivation and courage. Irked by his lack of self-esteem, Garou narrowed his eyes very slightly before asking.

"But…"

"What do you have to lose?"

That question lit a spark within his heart. Ghin looked up as if a revelation dawned on him upon reflecting that simple question.

"…" without another word, he slowly, still hesitant but less than before, reached out and took his hand in return.

"...what should I do if-"

"No 'if's. Do or don't; there's no middle ground. It's either you get strong or forever stay weak. So, what do you choose?"

The boy looked at Garou, taken back by his stentorian interjection. Do or do not, no 'if's allowed - it was either take a risk or forever do nothing, forever suffering at the heels of…

With eyes hardened with resolve, Ghin nodded in affirmation, "I'll do it." Everything he ever knew and loved was taken away from him, by both hero AND villain. Something he must repay no matter what, a story that no one would pay heed. At least no one yet.

The boy's fist clenched with determination, seemingly ready to take on anything the Hunter could throw.

"It will be hard, you know? You might go home crying." Garou teasingly warned.

There were two… well, three reasons why he decided to take the kid in and not Tareo back home. One, the Shrimp needed it more because others threatened his life constantly with dangers that no kid his age should endure. Two, Garou wanted to see the potential this world had to offer. If this kid could meet, or better yet, defy his expectations, Garou would confirm that hope still existed in this world, that strong heroes could subsist with or without Quirks - and further prove the folly of this world's Hero society even more.

And three, he had to repay the kid somehow. He wanted to compensate him for the money he obtained, around a hundred thousand yen. He still couldn't get his head around the fact that the kid was somehow wealthy, though the funds most likely originated from his aunt.

A topic to delve for another day, he supposed.

"Bring it on! I can handle anything you can dish out!"

Ghin declares with newfound cockiness, now excited to learn under probably the scariest man on Earth without fear.

"Good. Climb that mountain." Garou declared, pointing his finger at the mountain peak.

He failed to register those three simple words as his mind immediately rejected the imagery that came with them.

"What?"

Ocularly following the finger, Ghin craned his neck as much as he could to see the end of the monumental giant. He failed though, his neck reaching the maximum angle it could achieve and not past three-fourths of the entire thing.

"You heard me."

Ghin could feel his legs aching from the imagining alone. He could picture himself gasping for respite so high up as the fear of death threatens to infect his courage should he ever look down.

"Uh, I don't think-"

"You said anything. And you climbed it before."

If Ghin's ear was working right, he swore he heard a mocking tease from Garou.

"…and you could climb it?"

"The dojo I grew up in is built atop a mountain just as big as this one. Now climb."

Ghin looked down at his hands and then the rough abrasive stone, imagining the latter ablading the first with little to no resistance.

"Yes. With your hands." Garou answered the phantom question.

If a boy his age could pile more regrets than that of any other could exist, he was one of them. Already he felt like crying as phantom pain racked his entire body even further. His complexion paled even more also upon realizing that he signed up for a training course from Hell, literal hell.

"Or are you chicken?"

Looking behind, Ghin saw a smirk widening Garou's lips. A very mocking, provocative grin. One that Ghin wanted to wipe from existence with fists and rage violently. He never knew that someone as violent as Garou could become so annoying.

For the first time in a year, the boy felt irked as his veins threatened to pop, the urge to repay Garou overwriting the infectious despair.

"Oh, it's on."

The first disciple of Garou immediately took his first step up with his hand. He was determined to wipe that smirk off that annoying hunter's face with his fist even if it was the last thing he'll do.

* * *

A few months walked by since Garou's silent claim to Hosu as his territory. Garou's seemingly merciless hunts seemed to cease, for now, leaving a tense sense of peace for the heroes and some of the villains. The absence of body piles instilled hope for some of the newer heroes, like Mt Lady, alleviating her worries of joining the staggering list of victims.

One of whom was now engaged in training his own successor for the day when he passed on his Quirk, one that spanned several generations.

From the sands of Dagoba to the sidewalk, Midoriya panted as the weight of the tire threatened to collapse his fortitude and buckle his knees before the golden vesper warming his sweating hide. Overwatching his chosen successor struggle under the ocean breeze, Toshinori wandered his thoughts on the future - the subject mostly revolved around the one person responsible for sending so many peacekeepers out of commission.

A contradictory figure, he was, of whose alignment remained unclear. He looked down on his casted right arm as it pulsed tenderly from memory.

Picturing the future, the stray vision of The Hero Hunter, or the Hunter amongst Villains as many would call him for short, facing Midoriya in combat arrived first in his thoughts. The Number One Hero grimaced at the sight of his successor encountering him.

As of now, he wasn't ready. Even worse, Yagi cannot tell when he will be prepared to face the Hunter. The fear of _him_ hunting his successor if allowed the chance still rung within his soul, haunting his hope and the safety of Midoriya. However, despite this fear, he was assured _he_ wouldn't do so.

Yagi witnessed the honor inside him. Yet, the impact he left behind still resonated with the doubts within. The man possessed an unnatural talent for instilling fear inside even the bravest hearts at first contact, a fear that he wished to not share with the rest of the world - the fear that the Hero society's collapse would come to fruition, an outcome now entirely at _his_ mercy.

All Might grimaced at the empty air. He still didn't approve the decision to retaliate against Garou, yet his protest fell on deaf ears. Various hero agencies, one of which belonged to his former sidekick, banded together in hopes of defeating one of the greatest menaces that terrorized Japan, All For One included.

You're making a mistake…" He muttered his word,s aimed mostly at his former sidekick despite his not being here.

While he agreed Garou's seemingly indiscriminate rampage must end, he did not condone the method of using numbers against him. Something about him didn't agree with Yagi's intuition. He cannot tell what it was, but he feared he wouldn't find out until it's too late.

There was a dark presence hiding within him. Something unsettling, dangerous - its identity unknown.

Nevertheless, he cannot stop them now, not unless he fully recovered from his previous bout.

Still, a part of him wished their success, that they proved his worries unfound with heir victory. But no matter what he did, he cannot imagine them winning against Garou. He did not know why, but that was the impression Garou imprinted.

If Garou could be compared with a symbol, the closest avatar of a particular aspect of humanity, one came to his mind.

However, the grunting of Midoriya interrupted him of his thoughts as the young All Might fan panted, out of breath on his knees but conscious. His eyes were shaking from stress, the exhaustion catching up with him and threatening to bring him down.

"Hah… I'm… done…"

Midoriya finished his quota, yet struggling even to stand.

"Hahaha, good job."

Toshinori visually took in Izuku's tired form. He made a promise to himself and the wielders before him. He will uplift Izuku to become one of the greatest heroes after him, no matter the dangers or obstacles in his way - for the future of all.

* * *

Under the cloaking night, where many working souls return home from their daily duties, the darkness festered in the absence of light, flourishing like a field of weeds in fertile soil.

Out in the rural streets of Dagoba, where not many reside and out of public eye, a hooded man slowly walked down the stairs, under the sign of a bar, and entered through the inconspicuous door.

On the other side, amber light dimmed the mahogany wooden planks constituting the floor and wall, fading into shadow at the outer edges of the bar. Behind the long wooden bar counter and the serried stools holding red cushions, Kurogiri nodded to Tomura while his hands rubbed the white cloth within the glass cup.

Nodding back to the man of black mist, Tomura sauntered hunched-forward to one of the stools, sitting on the red cushion with his arms rested on the counter.

"Has your day been well, Tomura Shiguraki?"

Tomura scoffed as he rapped his fingers on the flat surface.

"Nothing much. Checking out the heroes and signs of the 'Hero Hunter.' Can't seem to get a fix on him, though, other than that he might be in Hosu."

Kurogiri nodded as he stopped cleaning the glass.

"How's Sensei? Anything wrong with him after the 'experiment'?" He asked referring to the things Kurogiri managed to scrounge in his Trigger Experiments.

"While I share your concern for his health, it is best if you ask Sensei directly. He wants to see you on a certain matter."

"Hah? Which one?" Tomura blinked under his hood. There was much to do in his preparations for his debut, so he did not know what more his Sensei had in store for him.

Without responding, Kurogiri grabbed a remote from the under the counter, turning on the monitor embedded high on the wall.

The screen flicked to life, revealing dark waves of sound pulsing in tune with Sensei's voice, as the Symbol of Evil spoke.

"[Tomura. I take it you're doing well? How is your skin around your neck? Scratching it too much would ruin it, hahaha.]" The man responsible for All Might's current condition spoke to Shiguraki with a tone that could be considered fatherly, a twisted one raising a demented killer as his own child.

"Sensei. How do you feel right now?"

In the bar hidden within Kamino, Tomura asked his Sensei shown on screen from his seat. The apprentice of All For One could see his master's complexion healing, the scars fading gradually at an almost imperceptible pace from the rims.

"[Tomura, your concern warms my healing heart, ha ha ha. The doctor worked wonders on me; I can feel the despicable scars haunting my years uplifting. Why I've almost forgotten the feeling of fresh relief after so many years. It's a magnificent feeling.]"

The Symbol of Evil heartily chuckled, his grin possessing more verisimilitude than before.

Tomura still couldn't believe a _thing_ like that could exist when Kurogiri experimented the first time. Whatever that was, it was something they can use, and what they needed to restore All For One's health.

"Kurogiri said you got something for me?" He tersely switched topics, both glad and concerned for his Sensei - the first that death will no longer haunt his Sensei while the latter still apprehensive using _that_ without knowing its species and capabilities was wise.

"[There is a loose end the Union requested you to handle on their behalf. His usefulness has expired.]

The mention of any possible breach tugged his strings, the kind that strums disdain.

"What kind of 'loose end' are we talking here?"

Anything that threatened his goals must be erased, disappear.

"[A certain asset is being compromised in his line of work and threatens to expose our dealings. We no longer need such a critical liability anymore, and just when we had our replacement ready. Would you do the honors in... erasing this parasite from our ranks?]"

Tomura's dry, chewed lips slowly curled into a grin, the imagined rush-like elation of feeling someone's life fading in his palm was gushing like blood from a wound.

"That would be my pleasure."

* * *

 **A bit shorter compared to before, I know, but I can compensate somewhat on the later chapters.**


	7. Chapter 7: Fear Engraved

Far within the untamed outskirts of Hosu, shrouded in the sea of boles and green foliage bathing under the afternoon sun, the silver-haired fledgling assailed the smiling target of his ire while his lungs burned past its limits. A feeling excruciatingly shared with his arms and legs, his abdomen, and his head screaming at him to allow a respite from the pain - a luxury he cannot permit as he continued assailing the Crimson Hunter.

"Try harder, Shrimp."

"Don't… call me that!" 'Shrimp' wheezed with his blood-shot eyes fired at the evil one, his efforts doubled from the provocation.

For weeks, he suffered under his hands. A part of him regretted taking his challenge, but his pride and rage superseded any desire to back down. Without anything to lose in life, he will tread the road to Hell and get out one way or another. All so he can beat up the man with a penchant for violence and erecting monuments of his victories with the bodies of his victims.

Recounting his beginnings, Ghin cannot believe that he even lived through the hellish ordeals Garou held in store for him. Climbing the hellish peaks thrice per day, performing series of stances of martial art he had never heard of while encumbered with aching muscle and bones, and spar with the Hero Hunter along with other exercises reinforcing his fighting sense and reflexes. Even after all that, the boy had to walk back home tired and wracked by gnawing agony.

Leaping up, he pounced, swiping for Garou's neck like a tiger trying to tear the throat of its prey. But Garou was nothing like prey, but a more dangerous predator toying with its food.

One hand relaxed behind, Garou casually stepped back with synchronized timing, the skin of his neck narrowly escaping the nail of Ghin's claws - so relaxed that it was mocking to the boy's efforts - an act the boy will not tolerate as he drew every last drop of his strength with clenching teeth and furious fervor and charged forward. In the duration, Garou backed away in response at a close, fixed distance, like a magnet forever moving out of Ghin's repulsing reach.

"Yes, good! Fight against your weakness and come at me!" Garou grinned as he continued evading the boy's belligerent leaps and lunges without a drop of consideration for defense.

He smiled while Ghin snarled, approving the boy's progress and tenacity.

Despite climbing the mountain thrice and performing various martial sets in the prior morning, the boy fought on with promising potential despite the burning pain and heavy fatigue threatening to drag him into inevitable collapse.

He favored the boy's tenacity and fighting spirit, along with his improving mentality and mood; a significant change compared from then and now.

Ghin developed his preferred fighting style during the weeks, a much more aggressive reflection of the Old Fart's martial arts. It was like the prelude of a roaring flood, the unsettling glimpse at the beginning stages of a rampaging tidal wave slowly growing to a tsunami. Its aggressiveness was more primal compared to his own, the boy's aggressive stances designed to obliterate the enemy, to forbid the enemy any quarter.

His choice of style was not what Garou expected, however. Initially, he conjectured a more passive choice, but given the boy's current lack of timidity, Garou speculated that the boy locked away much of his anger within the depths of his heart. When he recalled Ghin's harsh past, he was impressed by how well the kid hid his inner turmoil from him.

Backed into a tree, his behind centimeters from the bark, he leaped over the boy's wide right hook; he did not miss how the boy tore a big chunk of bark from the poor tree, a feat he failed to accomplish before when they first met.

Seeing the splintered boles shattered by the hands of the Quirkless boy, Garou finally had proof - evidence that the power of Quirks held the potential of humans back.

Turning around with bellicose frustration contorting his face, Ghin was about to pursue his frisking master until the hunter raised one palm up.

"Let's call it a day for now." He suggested, his declaration flushing all of Ghin's belligerence down the drain as he cooled.

In his releasing his aggression, Ghin immediately collapsed to his hands and knees as if all the accumulated fatigue and exhaustion stole away his balance and breath. Sweat trickles off his chin and cheeks in rivulets, droplets of perspiration dripping into the soil and grass.

"How'd you feel, Shrimp?" Garou asked as the boy struggled to raise his right hand only to flash Garou a middle finger.

"Ahahahaha!" Garou laughed in response to his student's gall.

"I… hate you… so much!" Ghin expresses all of his spite for the martial artist.

"What happened to 'I will smack you so hard, you'll kiss the moon' before?"

"I will kick you off the mountain!" The polite timid boy was nowhere at this moment, replaced by an angry, adorable toddler trying to be as intimidating as The Hero Hunter himself.

"Ahahahaha!" Garou can't help but laugh at the kid's sense of humor, finding it very refreshing in this world of worthless heroes and villains.

"Stop laughing! I will ram my fist through your esophagus and tear out your stomach!" Raising his neck, Ghin pouted while his body trembled with irritated rage.

"Ahahaha, hah. Alright, let's go home. Or are your legs too weak to walk the distance?" Garou taunted, earning another tick mark from the boy.

"Graaaahhhh!" Ghin roared to his feet, his refusal to allow Garou the high ground to nitpick him. He will make Garou eat his words, then make him choke on it via strangulation.

"That's the spirit!" He flashed the boy a thumbs-up, only to receive another middle finger from him in return. Garou almost laughed once again. He started to like this version of Shrimp instead of the shy boy that always sulked in the playground.

Tired, Ghin looked at the long road, his legs begging him for rest upon remembering the distance he must trek once more. His frustration crumbled to silent wails as his legs cried with him - its pain as their voice pulsing through his tendons.

"I don't wanna walk back…" Ghin whined, expending all his rage. He did it every day for weeks, be it on school days or off days.

"It's good for your legs," Garou retorted.

The kid only pouted at Garou's cruel sense of humor. He had not the energy or words to even talk back in his current state, resorting to giving the Garou his angry eyes.

Garou only laughed as they walked down the road back between the columns of bark and leaves, patting the kid's head as they head back to their abode. The boy still pouted even in their escapade back to civilization, swearing to himself that he'll get Garou the next time.

* * *

Returning home on foot while the sun entered its incipient twilight, Garou watched the news while the kid prepared dinner, preparing some gyoza and dumplings along with some rice.

Through the news, the screen presenting a conversation between host and guest, two of whose names never imprinted themselves within Garou's memories, he summarized the three months after he settled in the kid's home.

The fires of unrest plaguing Japan smoldered throughout the months slowly, cooled by the winds of peace. The Hero Hunter cases slowly dwindled into scarcity, each one tamer than the last - a change that did not escape the public's notice. At least when concerning the heroes.

The number of villain piles started to frequent more and more, while the number of heroes slowly decreased. And compared to the villains, the heroes felled by his hand downgraded to from gore-encrusted piles to simple defeats, their bodies harmed no further than mere, swift knockouts - not even a single drop of blood was spilled.

As for the villains, they drew the short end of the stick. Garou's fulcrum of violence tipped more towards the villains' side than that of the heroes', their fates equal to or worse than the first victims at his debut.

The villains Garou indirectly inflamed to action dwindled in number, each joining their fellows behind iron bars one by one once almost all the heroes Garou personally sent to the hospital recovered, both physically and mentally. Although, they did not return completely intact.

The scars of Garou, now infamously known as the Hunter Amongst Villains in the Hero Community, were apparent in every hero that left their hospital beds. While their bodies recovered, their pride and confidence did not. Whatever conviction they had in their standing as heroes were torn asunder by _his_ hands, and then roughly patched together in stitches unhealed.

In summary, their morale was at an all-time low, slowly spreading throughout the Hero Community. Fear of encountering the Hero Hunter was present in the newest heroes and the untouched while touching the hearts of many veterans - none of them wish to join the Hero Hunter's growing body count.

Despite the peaceful settling, his impact never left the hearts of the many, civilians, heroes, and some villains. And little did they know, and it did not please the man himself as he read the newspaper as he sat on a public bench in Dagoba on a Monday under the afternoon sun.

"Hm." Garou murmured as the commercial aired.

Ignoring the irksome ads involving the merchandise of a certain rookie female giant with horns, which was next to impossible given that her name was almost everywhere be it television or billboard ads, he continued onto the next page - only to grimace further.

"Really?"

No matter how many times he sees it, he just could not understand the logic behind the populace's excessive praise and adoration for the heroes here. The amount was very sickening, even worse for a bunch of worthless sellouts.

It was like a world full of Amai Masks, all 'servants of justice' treated with unflinching, unconditional fanfare, only these were far worse than that overrated A-Class hero - the vermin equivalent in a sense infesting society.

The ads finally ceased as the next topic of conversation arrived, this one of him in general.

"[At long last, the agencies finally commissioned a manhunt against the Hero Hunter in response to his various 'hunts,' most likely in retaliation for the heroes he brutalized to an unnecessary extreme. As for the identities of the heroes participating in the manhunt, the agencies withheld their names but promised to divulge them after their success.]"

"Hoh?"

He was surprised to see a reaction force against him, though he questioned their very delayed response. However, the next scene later delves into said reason.

"[Normally, such a manhunt should be immediate in response to the severity of the Hero Hunter's 'hunts,' but, according to recent questioning, their time was occupied suppressing the chaos that ensued following the Hero Hunter, quelling the inspired villains that rose to action in the absence of the victimized heroes.]"

Most of the heroes were occupied dealing with the surge of villain incidents harassing the streets, some of which he contributed by adding them in body piles - mostly because they pissed him off with their gall to involve the innocent in their violence. Some of them dragged the Hero Hunter himself into their rampage, seven more times in his wandering search for viable game.

"[Unto the next topic, the ongoing case of Fuai Seriff seems to be concluding into a climax as the attorney of the various victims allegedly assaulted by him, Tsukihana Shinjitsu, progresses forward with newfound evidence about multiple counts of corruption and connections to various criminal organizations in Japan.]"

The silver-haired woman that he saw on TV, a young lady of early twenties bedecked in an argent-white suit with a grey tie spilling from her neck and a somewhat short blouse hugging a third of her thighs while the rest her legs showed naked skin minus the medium-high heels.

Her hair bundled into a ponytail behind her back, her eyes were like cerulean gems sparkling in the artificial lights, and her face almost seemed sculpted given her maiden-like visage.

The woman that the boy called his Auntie appeared behind the screen. Someone with not the time and freedom to care for the kid in her line of duty.

Apparently, due to some legal spiel, the woman was sequestered into her work office during certain large-scale cases concerning the societal and political; especially when charging one of the Hero industry's managers for fraud, tax fraud, molesting, abusing Quirk usage, and... frankly, Garou was surprised someone like him was still allowed to stay in office for so long.

According to the boy, Tsukihana cannot leave the case without consequences lest she suffered a significant fine and great repercussion to her judicial career.

It would explain why he never met the woman throughout the few months, now that Garou thought about it, although he doubted that her career choice was ideal when stacked with parental duties. Then again, the woman probably didn't have the luxury.

"Politics in the making." Garou grimaced.

He considered hunting the man, but the boy pleaded not to go. Not only would it complicate Garou's staying here, but also jeopardize any viable excuse to let him stay. The Hunter was surprised by the boy's sound logic. Now that he thought about it, Garou did hear that the kid went to a private school of sorts. Does that mean the kid was smart? A genius?

He would ask later on when he had the chance.

"Dinner's ready!" Ghin shouted.

"Coming!" He closed the TV before it continued any further and rose from his comfy couch. He decided to hunt tomorrow Monday after his morning workout.

* * *

In the profession of evil, the abduction of a victim required three things: timing, workforce, and information. One cannot throw multiple kidnapping requests in terse successions without attracting unwanted attention. Depending on the competence of the hired hands, the probability of success will either lean towards the side of success or that of failure. And finally, information was paramount, preceding the first two. Knowledge of the target, his lifestyle, behavior, connections, etc., is the vital crux to any plan, to mitigate all threats of compromise that could spiral all efforts to waste - like, for example, All Might decides to pass by and catch onto the crime before completion.

Once one fulfilled all thrice criteria, success was inevitable - in most cases.

Villains carefully selected with moderate history for said trade prowled around the near-vacant building. Many riches at stake for their success, affluence to rise above and prosper.

None of them shared a distinctive uniform as all that applied were competitors in the same trade.

One of them stood tall, prominent, and bulking, another cut from the fabric of power-types, as his uniform barely managed to contain his build. His skin was black, his face armored with chitinous brown, eyes pulled so deep in his sockets that none can see even the whites of his sclera while his height stood two times taller than that of the average non-mutant type humans.

Another one of them was visually similar to a lamia, half her lower torso that of a serpent while the upper being humanoid. Her Quirk allows her serpentine half to adhere to any surface and traverse it, vertically or horizontally without the hindrance of gravity. She was currently scaling the walls of their target's home, slithering heavenwards with the silent grace of a spider as sticky slime trailed behind her path.

The others were just as unique in their threatening diversity, a squad of more than ten.

First, a two-person team will enter the front while the second team infiltrated around. Then a third team will search for the building's circuit breaker in the basement to cut off the building's power supply. One of the guys with them could jam electromagnetic waves, so any calls to the police or cries of help will fall on deaf ears, effectively cutting him off from the rest of the world.

Balnew, one of the only two visually pure humans in this group acting as the team's unspoken coordinator, possessing the ability to communicate and relay telepathic messages with those he touched.

He stood on standby in the interim as his sharp eyes lazily glazed over the building and his oral orifice yawning out his evident boredom. An early bird, he wordlessly grumbled in protest at the late hour, wishing that the client would've staged the abduction somewhat earlier than his late in the morning.

His stray hand reached behind and dug into his pants, scratching the scab blistering his butt meat without care - unbothered that the one beside him was watching with disgust scrunching his features.

"Really?"

She looked away, clicking her tongue in disgust, refusing to allow her reptilian eyes further suffering.

Her name was Cecylia, a hardened woman with slit pupils, her Quirk bestowing perception of heat behind solids. Her skill sets assigned her as the group's monitor, her eyes so to speak. However, her Quirk was not without limits. If used, her range of sight shrinks in a critical state of tunnel vision, and she cannot see five feet past the first layer.

Her job was to track the target's point of departure should he somehow slip past the trained vanguard. The client poured a lot of resources this time to ensure absolute success this time.

"I don't like you, either."

Another yawn pried his mouth open wide as tears trickled under his eyes while the others updated him on their progress. Team A managed to secure the rooftop entrance while Team B entered the generator room in the basement.

"Do you really have to make this… collaboration even more displeasing?" She hissed back.

"Hey, I'm just here for the money. Really, I don't care about any of you, so say what you want about me after we're done."

The employer offered three times the previous bounty for their success, his 'generosity' evidently derived from desperation since his case was entering its crescendo. However, his hired hands cared not for his fate, and whether he escaped the hammer of justice or dragged into the pits of Tartarus, only his money concerned their mutual interests.

"I hope you end up in a body pile." His apathy tugged a warning hiss from the woman - a trending allusion to the fate of various villains and heroes unfortunate enough to fall before the Hunter's eyes.

"Hah! You wish! No way in hell he'll greet me at this hour!"

Balnew laughed, finding the idea ridiculous.

Ever since Garou's first hunt, none of his victims fell past the twilight hours. To him, all human beings cannot escape their habits, and to him, the Hero Hunter was no exception to this rule.

"I hope he rips your arms off. Let's see how you'll live without scratching that filthy rear of yours."

Balnew chuckled at her quip.

"Yeah, keep on dreaming, lady."

Balnew shot a sideways wink behind at the woman. The sight of her gnashing her teeth and tense her fingers as if threatening to rip him apart only served to widen his smile further.

'[Balnew, we're ready to bust in the kid's room. Standby.]' The lamia woman informed from the rooftops.

The communicator grinned. Finally, it was time to finish the job and return home.

'[About time. Team B, cut the power already. It's time to bag this kid and cash in.]'

The others hung up as they proceeded to their objectives.

Now without anything to do, Balnew sighed as the boredom settled in like dust in the empty room. His thoughts wandered from his next goals or life plans, wondering if he should retire with this job's cash.

However, in his stray thinking, the fate of the previous workers crossed his mind. He grimaced at the remembrance of their destinies, mutilated like helpless meat tossed into the grinder. According to the only eyewitness, some guy fell from the sky and butchered them with his bare hands, though the details of his prevailing features did not reach public ears.

Balnew wondered what exactly did the previous team encounter to end up like meat displayed behind the glass pane in a butcher's shop. He doubted that an actual angel descended from the sky to punish the wicked.

'Don't think I'll encounter him this time.'

He shrugged. Whoever the person responsible, he sure wished he never met the guy. Miracles never happen twice as far as he was concerned.

"Alright, 'girl,' we're almost done here. Prepare to pack up and-"

'[Ahhhhh!]'

Cut off mid-speech, a sudden scream from one of the men inside rattled his composure.

'[Oi, what happened?!]'

Before he could demand a response, Cecilia shouted behind him.

"Something's coming this way!"

Throwing his head around, he saw the woman pointing up. Following her line of sight, he barely discerned it, but he somehow made out a shadowy silhouette looming above, falling.

Wait, it was falling above him, him being the guy under its landing point.

"Achskfj!" He spouted incoherent babbling as he screamed while stumbling/jumping aside the moment the thing fell on the floor with a splat.

Something just fell from the literal night sky, and its landing sounded wet. Looking down, right when the clouds moved to unveil the full moon, the body of the lamia revealed herself to the others, this time with her whole body caked in her lifeblood under the pale lunar light.

Eyes locked onto the body, the brutality of her condition froze Balnew and Cecylia in place, the level of violence frightfully reminiscent of the Hunter Amongst Villains. They shunned the thought, denying the possibility for the first few seconds. The two desperately attempted to reject that they lied within the Hunter's sights at this very moment.

Creaking his trembling head to his coworker, he silently whispered, "You don't think…"

Cecylia, her face as stiffened as his, tentatively shook her head in absolute denial without a word.

Silence took hold as the man tried to contact the others, but heard more screams as well, followed by the sound of windows shattering when three figures flew out, bodies tumbling with the sound of snapping bone and squelching moist meat as well as crimson smears trailed in their descent.

The sight of their coworkers, even the muscled brute of the scene, lied down, two facedown and one faceup. The face of their powerhouse revealed broken teeth, blood trickling out his lips, and the bones of his face half-caved in.

"Oh god," Cecylia whispered as the nightmare ignited, the terror taking hold like flames in the oil field.

"No, no. No no no no. That shouldn't be possible! He never hunts past morning!" He shouted, desperately denying the reality before him as his eyes grew manic, darting without aim or focus as his pupils trembled in anxiety while cold drops of sweat spilled from his pores.

Their job was meant to be simple. Take the kid, get paid, return home a rich man. Not to become part of a live horror show as he considered palter his obligations and run. Casting a glance at Cecylia, he could tell from her wide, staring eyes that she shared the same idea.

When more cries howled from the building, the duo did not waste time turning tail and fled the scene. They do not want to be here. They do not want to join the bodies under Garou's feet.

Footfalls and chunky heels slammed the sidewalk as they exerted their legs to their very limits, faces painted with tangible fear, tears streaming down their eyes and some snot dripping their noses, as they sprinted in their shutting the world from their senses sustained via their pure sense of self-preservation.

They ran and ran, the screams behind them fading in the widening distance, sprinting past the red light and the rare cars at their current hour. They turned around one corner, then another, continuing to zigzag around the concrete jungle until they rolled right into a shadowed alley. Protected by the darkness, the two kept running without aim past trashcans and smearing filth until they encountered the alley's wall - a dead end.

With nowhere to run, Cecylia quickly threw back a glance, seeing no demon behind their tail.

"I," she panted and noticed her expended breath, "think we've lost him."

She sighed, releasing all tension from her muscles as she doubled over the moment the exhaustion caught up. Gandering her cohort, she paused when she saw the man bleeding, half of his teeth missing from his jaw with his head held in the hands of another shadowed figure, his right eye gleaming gold within the darkness.

Not a single word gestated in her throat, no words coming to mind except the wondering of how the Hero Hunter preyed on her group's acting leader under her nose. It was a horror flick made real, Cecylia the victim while Garou was the monster.

Before she could collapse and beg for mercy, darkness submerged her like a flash of black light, her only memory being crunching pain rattling her skull followed by the sound of crunching stone behind her.

Silence returned as the Hunter proceeded to pick up their bodies by the legs, one in each hand, and continued to drag them away - the sound of leather and polyester slid abrasively with the asphalt. He was not in the mood for another pile, as his sleep was interrupted so early in the morning. He would make an example of them in a different approach.

* * *

Hidden under the mantling night behind the safe walls of his silent office, the only source of illumination being the dim ceiling light, excitement rattled within throughout his bones and kept him awake, desperately awaiting the news of success to arrive. Unable to sleep due to the tension, Fuai intermittently rapped his fingers together with impatience, his eyes gazing past the window pane leading to the bird's eyes view of the city of Tokyo, this time blanketed by night with a sea of stars swimming through the sky with near-immobile pace.

He had plans for the child, one of them was breaking his will along with… relieving his stress in vengeance for what his blasted whore of an aunt put him through. He would pour oil over her life and set it aflame with despair unlike no other and he will laugh above the ashes and revel in her suffering to some.

His eyes wandered, shifting from building to building in his crepuscular room, but, barely from the dim light, he saw a fading reflection of sudden darkness opening a hole in the empty air behind him, of which spilled purple haze around the circular rims of the pitch-black void.

He recognized that tear in reality anywhere, but why would All For One sent his Warper to his office? When the only plausible answer struck home, his eyes widened as wide as dinner plates as he quickly spun around his rotary chair half-full circle to greet Kurogiri as he emerged of whom stood calmly in the center of the dim lighting.

"Kurogiri! Do not worry, for I am almost done on my side! Tell All For One that I am-"

Before he could finish, another dark hole opened up inches from his face, its diameter as large as an orange's, and a gnarled, wrinkled hand pale in color sprang from the infinite abyss and wrapped its twig-like fingers around his face - the middle finger just centimeters above his forehead.

"Why, Shigaraki?! I was almost done! If you gave me more time, I would've-"

"Bring more trouble to Sensei after failing to cover your tracks. Don't feed your crap to me, you disgusting pig." Tomura finished for him, reminding the pig of his current standing.

The vortex widened as if stretching open, making room as the rest of Shigaraki's body spilled through until only his face emerged, masked by the preserved hand of his 'father.'

"Sensei has a message for you."

Fuai's brows quivered with fright, his teeth rattling as sweat poured profusely out his pores.

"The League of Villains will no longer tolerate your disgusting presence and bumbling arrogance. Thank you for all the work you've done until now."

Upon finishing, Tomura tapper the pig's forehead with his middle finger, entirely holding Fuai in his hands.

"No! Pleashhhweerrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!" He squealed, his voice high in pitch like that of an actual pig before he started to gurgle on his flesh when his body crumbled.

His skin fell off, cracked and crumbling from the muscle before the rest followed and joined the epidermis. Tendons decomposed, skipping the rotting stage and heading straight towards decomposition. Every fiber of his skin, tissue, and bones, all collapsed, sadistically and gradually, into a puddle of blood mixed with almost every other parts of his body surrounding the base of Fuai's former chair. Former lifeblood drenching the furniture head to toe, the only limb intact from the bodily decay was the stubby hand of the pig lying at the epicenter of the cushion.

"Kurogiri. We have work to do. Help me clean up the pig's mess."

Tomura ordered as he and Kurogiri proceeded to wipe every evidence of his involvement with the Union and what will soon become the League of Villains.

* * *

 **Author here. Well, I was busy — RL crap. Also trying to expand my writing along the way to make the characters look good. I still feel like my current writing style is not good enough, but I am learning. Hopefully, this is enough to capture your interests. What do you think of Ghin? His growth might not fit the BNHA context, but I planned to include to diversify the paths to strength in the BNHA universe. I had a good picture of how the BNHA world works considering how the people there can act like trash leading to the birth of villains, and I plan to expand on the BNHA's dark side a little more as I add my own elements. Please criticize my failings, but no trolling allowed. Also, it would seem some parts I've written is cut out by bugs, but I am not sure just yet... might be my side or this side.**


	8. Chapter 8: Argent Dilemma

The late afternoon sun of Tuesday painted the streets of Japan with illuminating gold unhindered by obscuring clouds and the skies above immaculate blue, delivering a flawless, lumen day to the citizens down below. Past school hours, Bakugou rid the silver bullet train leading from his district school to Hosu.

Excited, but bored in the inactivity during the meanwhile, he perused the internet through his phone, watching the latest media feed presenting recorded footage of the Hero Hunter's latest victims from the night before.

Ten victims found, scattered like litter discarded to rot, now in medical beds with their limbs cast and their bodies bandaged - to the point where they were almost mistaken for mummies. Arms and legs twisted in extreme angles, the villains laid prone in bed, their rasping breaths almost audible from the camera feed through the breathing apparatus, their states far more pitiful compared to those from the previous hunts.

While listening to the reporter's commentary through his earphones, Bakugou caught a familiar, irritating voice from beside him.

"K-Kacchan?"

All muscles stiffened as irritation coursed through Bakugou's veins. An angry retort exploded from his mouth at the sight of the worthless, Quirkless nobody that always followed him like an accursed shadow.

"Deku!? What're you here on this train for, huh?!" Bakugou roared at the irksome vermin.

Midoriya looked away, timidly attempting to form the right wording of his response but was cut off by Bakugou again.

"Don't tell me. You here to see it?" Bakugou accused, knowing Deku's mindset yet still angst by it.

"W-Well-"

"The next few stops will enter Hosu. There's nothing of interest beyond that point, so unless you have a relative there, you're here to see 'his' work, aren't you?"

Midoriya has no words to rebuke that. He cannot tell that All Might invited him to see 'it,' of whom stood several passengers away from Midoriya while attempting to act as conspicuous as possible. He did not want to attract attention from others, especially Izuku's supposed childhood friend.

"Y-Yeah… kind of."

Izuku could only shirk away from Katsuki's looming glare threatening t overshadow the remnants of his confidence.

"Go home, Deku! This doesn't concern you!"

Izuku pursed his lips with his eyes still averting Bakugou's gaze. He did not have the guts to refute how wrong the self-proclaimed future number one was.

Especially given the context of The Hero Hunter's newest 'trophy.'

"I-I'm just curious, that's all. I mean, I-I've never seen something like it ever."

Bakugou scrunched his brows, his left eye twitching. As much as he wanted to refute and demand Midoriya's leave, he cannot deny how unique this stunt was. Of course, Izuku would want to see it.

"Tsk, fine! Stare all you want, but mark my words! When I defeat this so-called Hero Hunter, I will present his body in front of that!"

Bakugou arrogantly declared, his mind filled with delusional fantasies of his 'ensured' fame and glory, standing atop of the Hero Hunter, the Bloody Demon, the Hunter Amongst Villains, over Garou himself.

His ears catching his declaration, the crippled skeleton could only imagine the youth joining the body pile, broken in spirit like his body before carried to the hospital in shame. As one who fought Garou, he knew that the man himself was beyond dangerous, someone who exists outside the borders of common sense. The first fight with Garou was more than enough indication of that.

And worse, Toshinori felt as if he hadn't seen the worst of what Garou had to offer in the end.

While submerged in his thoughts, the slowing of the train pulled Toshinori from his rumination as the automatic announcer informed their current stop in Hosu through the speakers.

"Tsk, we'll talk later." He flashed a final glare at IUku before stepping out the train, along with many others. Little did Izuku know, most of the passengers left at this stop, the other passengers also sharing Bakugou's desire to see the Hero Hunter's latest work, people flowing out like water flushed down the sink.

Hesitant, Izuku slowly left the train, joining his fellow onlookers unawares, followed by All Might, the Skeleton, as they mixed with the crowd likes stray droplets merging with the polychromatic river.

Switching their modes of transportation from the train to bus, the three traveled through the seemingly peaceful streets as they headed out towards a somewhat large gathering of what seemed to be similar curious minds after more than an hour. No monument of consecutive victories erected with the victims' bodies, no victims shamed for his amusement.

At the scene of the Hero Hunter's most recent crime, a growing crowd, cordoned by police officers and vehicles, stood outside the barricades and stared at the kanji of incomplete crimson. The strokes were messy, the colors losing linear cohesion from repeated attempts as if the calligrapher was working with dwindling paint and a flawed brush.

However, despite the blatant mess of attempts, the chaotic result only augmented the unsettling impact on the psyche twofold - even more so when the media divulged what he used as his 'brush.'

The Hero Hunter painted a canvas of misery with the villains as his crimson brush, completing a macabre portrait of his growing brutality. The level of unprecedented savagery not only rattled the morale of both heroes and villains but also rendered all thoughts mute with speechlessness.

A kanji in hellish red, faded, incomplete, amateur, but impactful - the trickling crimson seemed as if the word itself was crying in pain. The smell of acrid iron emitting from the 'paint' reached the nostrils of both police and onlookers, forcing Bakugou and Izuku amongst them to scrunch their noses from displeasure. The odor reminded them of that one villain from the internet article, how half his face lost its skin, scraped off, dipped in the blood of the other villains, only to suffer even more abrasions in repeated attempts. Both the news and the sites censored the image to protect the minds of children and parents from further unwanted terror.

The kanji '虞,' the Japanese word for 'fear,' adorned the wall, drawn with faces of humans as the hair of 'his' brush and blood as 'his' paint - a macabre sight for all the heroes and villains that dare cross his path regardless of their intent.

Despite the gory origins of the adumbrated graffiti, it attracted curious eyes like a landmark attracting tourists. After all, not even a single a case where a villain vandalized private property with the blood of villains occurred in the years after the masses established the Hero system to stabilize society.

Cameras flashed and clicked, cell phones raised as aleatory chatter exchanged between each lip, some marveling at the malice radiating from the graffiti as if it was a work of art while others were absorbed by how its mien alone could instill such fear and still drew them in. As if the kanji was enchanted with the power to seduce the viewers, unhindered by its simplicity of design and lack of thought.

Standing among the masses, Bakugou whistled at the sight, impressed.

"Got to say, it's savage." The living bomb praised The Hero Hunter's tastes. While gorily unsettling, it did have impact, and Bakugou respected it.

"Haha…" Beside him was the annoying gnat that kept following him around ever since they were little toddlers.

"And what the fuck are you still doing here, huh!?" Bakugou turned to the Quirkless annoyance, eyes sharp and glaring at the timid wimp with moss for hair.

"C-Can't I just watch?" He slowly averted his eye contact until his pupils hit a dead-end at the ocular corner.

Toshinori Yagi, in his skeletal form with his right arm still casted, stood a few feet from Midoriya's left, his shadowed eyes locked onto the blooded Kanji, and his face unreadable, submerged in his thoughts attempting to decipher the Hero Hunter's actions.

Until now, it was always body piles erected one after another - sometimes one comprised of solely heroes, sometimes only villains, other times both - his savagery dwindling with each Hero pile while worsening for the villains. While he did not condone the brutality for the villains, despite the drastic decrease of crime after each villainous hunt, he was somewhat hopeful that the Hero Hunter would retire from hunting heroes like game in the end at least and spare the future generation from excess fear and terror.

Although circumstance said otherwise in its visual loudest, already Toshinori could imagine the other heroes praying never to meet Garou in their lifetimes.

"Woooooow! It looks so cool!"

A child uttered far behind the vanguard of the crowd. Looking behind, Toshinori caught the sight of a silver-haired boy awing at the bloody graffiti. His short-sleeved shirt was white while his shorts were dull steel grey.

Not only that, the boy was riding atop someone's shoulders, but he couldn't see the kid's parent behind the sea of faces.

'Who in the world would take a young kid out to see _this_?'

Toshinori doubted any respectable parent would allow someone of the kid's age to see something rated for teenagers and adults.

In any case, he at least hoped that Garou wouldn't do the same to the heroes. He did not want to see Garou painting another callsign with the face of Endeavour should the time come. Knowing Garou so far, Toshinori was sure that Garou would do that without a second thought.

He sincerely hoped that day would never come. The tension settled just enough for the parents to consider allowing their children to enroll the hero schools of their dreams in Garou's respite.

He even recalled Midoriya's hardships in convincing his mother to let him enroll in UA after all. Still, he could not understand Garou's motivations behind this horrific calligraphy. Was he trying to intimidate the villains into forced placation? Some villains do prefer to work alone, after all, so the prospect of villains despising other villains wasn't uncommon, but his unfair treatment of villains compared to that of heroes was peculiar in comparison.

As he stood there in rumination, the two hopeful youths continued their chatter, though one of them was more screaming while the other whispering.

"K-Kacchan… ever wondered why Garou would do this?" Itsuku asked, hoping to shift the conversation to a different direction, one that did not involve Katsuki yelling his ears off.

"He's a villain. End of story," he spoke as if it was apparent.

Midoriya almost dropped a sweat at his terse reply.

"I-I mean will he do the same to other heroes as well?"

"Of course he might." Bakugou had no idea where he was going with this.

"...I'm not sure if our parents would let us go if he did."

This time, Bakugou felt his words clogged in his throat. His temper cooled as if doused with cold water as he pondered on that reveal.

"...did your parents finally let you go?" Izuku asked.

Bakugou almost grimaced at the question. He had a very, _very_ hard time convincing his stubborn, loudmouth of a mother to bestow her blessings.

"How about you?"

Izuku still remembered how his mother tearfully begged him not to go. Garou's hunts did more than a number on her fragile heart.

"She's still crying for me to stay…"

Both remained in shared silence as reality slowly sunk in. It was almost of Garou was choking their futures, strangling them with infectious fear as his hands.

"Tsk, of course, you're going. Seriously, don't go. UA isn't a place for Quirkless wannabes like you." Bakugou broke the tense ambiance with words of his abrasive ego as his hammer.

Midoriya sighed once again, his senses already numb to Bakugou's constant jabs.

Silence returned as they resumed staring at Garou's art project. Midoriya pondered what kind of Quirk bestowed the Hero Hunter the power to defeat so many heroes and villains and include even All Might himself in his list of victims despite his weakened state.

"I wonder what kinda Quirk he has?" Izuku murmured. Bakugou did not miss his rhetorical question.

"Don't know. Some power type Quirk maybe." Bakugou shrugged, showing some interest.

"There is also the possibility of a speed Quirk. A hybrid maybe like that of All Might's?"

Izuku speculated, leaving out the glaringly precise details on some of Garou's abilities.

According to All Might, Garou possesses immense durability, profound strength, high speed, and extraordinary martial skills along with some… unconfirmed powers; especially Garou's mysterious ability to control blades of wind, ones he used to lacerate coiling wounds around All Might's right arm. Whatever it was, Garou's Quirk is on par with All Might's level.

"One like All Might's? Come on, the odds of that is almost zilch. Stop dreaming, Deku."

Bakugou waved off his conjecture without a second thought. There was no way a villain with a Quirk like All Might's could exist. If there were, they would've been on the news by now or so.

Izuku took out his phone and turned on the camera function, aiming its lens at the morbid art. With the press of a button, the phone clicked as he snapped a photo to save for later study. Bakugou took out his phone and did the same, mostly as a souvenir, evidence of his being here before the police erase Garou's art project.

"I'm off. Better not see you anywhere near UA, Deku, or I swear to show you a hell greater than anything the 'Hero Hunter' can make."

Bakugou then turned around, walking back through the sea of people and leaving Izuku alone with his idol.

"Bring me closer!"

Turning his head to the cheery voice, Izuku could see through the gaps of the crowd a silver-haired boy riding someone's shoulder.

Squinting his eyes, Izuku widened them from astonishment.

'Wow, what kind of Quirk does he have?'

Izuku had never seen anyone as intimidating as him, hair stained with the color of blood, the sclera of his right eye corrupted into wicked black and a face that screamed danger. His hairstyle was sui generis as well, slicked back in a unique V style.

Not to mention the overwhelming impact his presence wrought upon first glance of which affected even the other bystanders around him. They were uncomfortable standing next to the scary man though they didn't visibly show their displeasure.

That man would probably be more intimidating that Bakugou could ever achieve if he put his mind to it. Izuku wondered if the man has a Quirk that inspired fear to those around him.

Wanting to capture a moment, Izuku aimed the camera of his phone, steadied his hand, and tapped the snap icon as his phone clicked - taking a reference to later write down in his notes after returning home.

"Alright, think you can take a picture now?"

Although the man's demeanor and treatment of what seemed to be his little brother profoundly contradicted what his initial image would suggest, he seemed amiable despite his somewhat devilish countenance.

"Mmm!" The boy took out his phone from his pocket and aimed its camera at the hellish calligraphy.

"Almost… I got it!" The boy smiled as Deku heard camera clicks from his phone.

"Come on, don't take too much of it. One is enough." The man carrying the boy retorted the boy's repetitive clicking.

"No! I want the perfect shot!" The boy cheerfully denied as he continued taking more pictures.

"Really, you…" The scary man sighed.

Izuku almost smiled at the sight, glad that the man was not what his visage suggest. A textbook example of a life lesson to never solely judge a person by their cover.

"Alright, that's enough. We're leaving." The man said as he pivoted around an abrupt half circle before the boy could snap another pic.

"Wait! Just one more!" The boy whines, begging for more.

"Hmmm, nope!" The man playfully denied before walking away, leaving the scene as he melded back inside the crowd in his exiting.

"Noooooooooooo!" The boy wailed while his fingers tightened, pulling handfuls of the man's crimson hair in adorable protest.

Izuku chuckled at the interaction between the two. They were like family in a sense.

However, Toshinori almost gawped. Was that _him_? He rubbed his skeletal eyes after catching a glimpse of the boy's carrier through the narrow crevice between the wall of spectators. So shocked was he that he couldn't feel the warm feeling of blood trickling down the corners of his lips. He desperately attempted to parse what his eyes witnessed to the best of his ability, but he just couldn't. He cannot process the sight of Garou being a family man _and_ returning to the scene of the crime as if to show off his work to what seemed to be his brother.

He shook his head. Must be his imagination, a trick of his eyes and ears. The possibility was as improbable as All For One turning to the light side. Plus, he could never imagine someone like Garou being that amiable to children of all people.

* * *

"You should've let me take more pics! More pics!" Ghin continued complaining while pulling on Garou's crimson hair.

"Stop it," Garou demanded, frowning at the boy's pulling of his hair.

"No! I want to take more pics of my enemies' blood painted on the wall!" He continued yanking his hair to Garou's chagrin.

"You took enough. And get off my shoulders."

"I pay your meals, so instant Hierarchy!" He childishly rebuked, abusing the Hero Hunter's lack, or absence, of anything related to the financial. Like it or not, Garou was penniless here, and he preferred to pay for his meals more than stealing them to avoid unwanted trouble.

The Hero Hunter sighed, grousing to himself. He could understand his desire to record proof of his attacker's suffering, most likely as a memento that his life-threatening days are completely over - assuming that Garou would stay at his place until then.

"Also, record yourself painting next time! I want to see the rated R content!" Ghin yanked the pointy ends of Garou's crimson hair, earning more tick marks in the process. At this rate, he might go bald.

"Alright, alright. I will next time."

That earned some leniency from the hair-pulling as his apprentice/employer smiled brightly.

"Good. Now onwards, steed!" Ghin demanded, pointed his hand forward.

Garou chuckled as he continued carrying the kid. So far, his mood was elevating the days gone by, though that did not exempt the complaints and threats Ghin threw at him during training. His life seemed to be improving.

The sight of Garou carrying the energetic boy, of whom they assumed as his little brother, on his shoulders earned some warm smiles from the nearby passerby, relieving them of their fear that the man was a potential villain.

"So… when are you gonna teach me the Whirlwind Iron Cutting Fist?" Ghin asked to pass the time.

"Months."

"What?!" The boy started pulling Garou's hair in protest.

"Ow, ow. I'm joking. I'm joking!" Garou playfully assuaged as the boy stopped tearing his hair.

"But I'm not sure if you're ready for that yet. You still haven't mastered the Old Fart's martial arts."

"Your master, right?" Ghin heard some mentions of Garou's martial arts instructor before, but the Hunter never divulged much on the subject - though he could conjecture some truths.

"You know you never told me what he's like, right?" Ghin asked, deciding to venture into dangerous grounds hoping that Garou won't punish him with even more mountain climbs.

Garou paused, his lips pursed and brows scrunched upon the mention of Bang. If there was a thought that crossed his mind since his arrival in this strange land, one came to mind.

"He is one of the strongest old men I know and can kick All Might's ass with one hand behind his back," Garou exaggeratingly summarized the old man with a hint of respect. Usually, he would reserve solely animosity for Bang, but after staying here for months, he started to appreciate his former master more. Who knew baptizing in the blood of truly worthless heroes would prove so enlightening?

"Ohhhhhhh."

Ghin awed in wonder, eyes sparkling as his vivid imagination run wild.

"Is he like you? How strong is he?" The boy started bouncing on his shoulders with impatience. Garou stopped as the question incited him into deep rumination.

How strong was the old fart? Garou, However, has absolutely no idea. He never got the old man to go all out on him to this point, but he at least grasped a general picture based on his personal, up-close experience.

"He can take on all the heroes in this… Japan without taking a scratch. Heck, probably all the villains too if he wants."

He paused in a sojourn upon remembering the country he found himself in before resuming his pace. It was strange, trying to recall the name of a nation. Only one country existed in his homeland as far as he knew with merely twenty-six cities to boot.

Unknown to him, the boy's eyes sparkled with wonder behind his head while visions of a genuine martial arts grandmaster wizened by age and tempered by experience swam through his imagination.

"Really?" Ghin asked to make sure.

"Well, unless they have a Quirk that can take advantage of an old man's back pain, he probably could beat them all in a fair fight," Garou jokes. He would laugh if someone with that Quirk that can topple the old monster actually existed, a cathartic, very entertaining thought he entertained.

"Ohhhh. Will I meet him one day?" Ghin asked, wanting to meet the guy.

Garou pursed his lips.

"Most likely no."

"Eh, why?" The boy wanted to see a real-life version of the stereotypical kung fu grandmaster, especially one so old and presumably wise.

"I don't think anyone can return to where I'm from."

Garou had no idea how he got here, but he had a hunch that a person with a Quirk brought him here. Albeit, whether on purpose or not he did not know, but he waged his odds on accidental. So far, he encountered no sign of his summoner months after his unwanted arrival.

Ghin remained silent upon remembering Garou's home.

"The one with the monsters?" Ghin still couldn't believe the stories behind Garou's home.

Natural disasters plagued his land like occasional rain, abominations roamed the cities preying on the weak, and other humans with might comparable with his Sensei's. He could barely imagine any living being that could literally touch the clouds with his sheer height alone. How one could reach that size without suffering the backlash of overheating was beyond Ghin's guess. It was impossible for anything to achieve that size, even with a Quirk, yet he was riding on a guy that hunted heroes for fun without a Quirk. Sometimes Ghin wondered if Garou was a Quirk that had taken human form, but he shrugged the thought away upon feeling himself progressing further past the normal human limit.

"Yeah, the one with the monsters. I doubt anyone of you guys can even survive there for a week. Hell, even All Might will end up as someone's excrement if he's unlucky enough."

The boy imagined those with mutant Quirks eating the non-mutated daily if Garou's description were sound.

"But… you think we can grow strong like you?" Ghin asked with hope.

"Yeah. You're living proof of that. You have actual potential compared with the losers I've hunted."

The boy smiled from his praise, his heart aflutter with hope for his future, as their home visited their sight in the distance. They have returned home.

As odd as Garou would say, he started to like this place, a far better environment compared to the old shack he used to hide out in the middle of nowhere.

'Now that I think about it, shouldn't I don a costume from now on?'

Which brought the question: Should Garou conceal his identity somewhat to protect his home?

He did start to like the kid, and his hunts drew a lot of attention, albeit it also drew another excellent question. Why didn't the heroes hunt him down so far? He stood out there in the open mingling with the civilians like he was one of them, out in the open without any disguise whatsoever, but that still did not invite the others to hunt him down.

A question for another day. He didn't even spot a single police officer or sneaky hero around his home in his patrols around the kid's house.

"Say, how capable is the police here compared with the heroes?"

"Hm, why do you ask?" Ghin tilted his head.

"Eh, just wondering."

"Well… they suck." Ghin summarized his views in two simple words.

"They are nothing more than the clean-up crew at this point. The heroes you downed so far are the only ones keeping the peace against the villains with Quirks, soooo…"

'Ah.' Now Garou understood. They were just as inept, probably even more so. Riding behind the vanguard all this time had dulled their hunting instincts and fangs, Garou summarized.

"That explains why no one bothered finding me here."

Albeit, Garou would probably search for a mask or something to protect his sanctuary. He likes this domicile.

Entering through the glass slide doors, walking to the elevator at the far end of the lobby across the wooden planks of beige while still carrying the boy on his shoulders, they rose to the very top floor, one reserved for the owner and the VIPs.

Garou sometimes wondered how rich the boy's aunt was, to purchase the building and yet still maintained its pristine condition despite not having any tenants. Why bother owning the thing if no tenants arrive?

"I should've asked earlier, but remind me why this building has no tenants so far?" Garou asked, wondering about the near-vacant state of the building.

"Um, Aunty got the rights from suing that one guy. Forgot his name though, but the guy was a major drug dealer with the deeds to this place."

"Ah." That explained the reason no one would rent this place. The woman probably had more than enough money to maintain the building or had connections to nullify the costs.

Enlightened, Garou exited the elevator with his passenger in tow.

The familiar fleur-de-lis patterning the walls, lit by dim ceiling lights encased in opaque, faceted and circular glass, instilled a sense of warmth in Garou like he had found a place he can indeed call home. Walking past the rows of empty doors at his left and right, he stopped at the most prominent of it all, the one linearly facing the elevator at the far opposite end like two engaging in an eternal stare down.

Unhooking the key chained to the strap of his pants, he unlocked the mahogany door embossed with the white lotus engraved in the absolute center and creaked the door open.

"Ghin. Care to explain what happened while I was away?"

However, an irrefragable debacle hid behind the door, taking in the form of a very, very angry aunt tapping her heel on the carpet. Garou blinked in surprise upon seeing her. Ghin paled as if the devil appeared before him, gawping at the sight of his aunty.

"Uhh…"

* * *

 **Meh. Here's another.**

 **I am trying to ingrain the habit of writing into my system and still working. Anyways, as for those who saw the painting, look back the previous chapter in the last section. I changed it because I was stupid for adding another body pile and such, so I decided to add something juicier and refreshing for those who want to know the fate of Fuai.**

 **Anyways, I am practicing my writing and vocabulary still, so I hope you all enjoy and that my attention to detail did not derail your immersion. Please review constructively, or else I will add you to the body pile XD.**


	9. Chapter 9: Vagrant Hired

An unforeseen obstacle greeted Garou behind the doorstep, facing at him with evident distrust. The boy ensured the case would occupy the woman for another week or so, yet here she was. After many weeks, the time to speak with the one the boy called Auntie finally arrived, his fate as the child's protector placed on the fulcrum.

"I admit that my absence was prolonged more than I estimated. However, I must ask, what has happened while I was away? Who is this man you're riding on?" The woman asked, her brow quirked in impatience, still tapping her foot on the polished floor of wood.

The boy gulping on his shoulder, audible enough for Garou's ears, his nervousness tangibly conveyed through the ambiance.

"Hi… Auntie. A-Aren't you busy dealing with Piggy?"

'Piggy' was the boy's nickname for Fuai, a nom de plume he coined out of pure spite.

Her foot tapping halted as her eyes closed for a moment. Taking a deep breath as if preparing herself, she reopened her gaze as she divulged what transpired.

"'Piggy' is no longer with us. He has… unexpectedly passed away." She gently worded.

Her answer creased the Hero Hunter to slant his brows in confusion. The fat man was dead? Did a heart attack finally occur in that fatass?

As for Ghin, he took a long time processing this revelation. The man that made his life purgatory kicked the bucket? That answer alone brought many conflicting emotions, many of them repressed and festering for months in the depths of his heart.

"He's dead? Really?" Ghin asked, now baffled aghast.

"How'd he die anyway?" Garou asked. This morning's media did not cover his sudden, but furtively desirable, departure.

"Apparently, someone managed to infiltrate his office and murdered him. Not only that, which is also undisclosed, all data from his personal computer was somehow erased, every possible direct evidence to any misconduct gone to the wind. While it was extremely unfortunate for someone of my profession, that alone left me out of the list of suspects responsible for his supposed assassination since I do require said evidence to condemn his sorry ass. Honestly, his end came so fast and abrupted the case ended with no conclusion as the authorities investigate the matter. Which brought me here, on an early leave vacation."

After lengthily explaining her story, she pointed at the man painted in demonic crimson.

"But now I've delivered my exegesis, tell me. Who is he?" She asked with fiat.

'Exegesis?' Garou did not know that word.

"My bodyguard. I hired him."

But apparently, the kid does for some reason as he answered immediately. Not only that, Garou noticed Ghin's incredible lack of delay in his reply.

'Did he prepare for this?' Garou was both proud and quite caught off guard by his preparation. He didn't even notice the boy's planning. Did Ghin plot his schemes under his nose all this time?

"Bodyguard? Where did you find him? No, what are you even paying him?" She asked, her eyes narrowed in a disapproving glare.

"Somewhere out the streets. He saves me from villains on the way home, so I asked if he wanted to be hired. And I am paying him food and shelter. He's very cheap." He replied with practiced steadiness in tone, but it broke into slight amusement when he mentioned his affordability. His indirect jibe did not please Garou.

"Oh? Did he?" Tsukihana looked at him slightly surprised. "Are you a vigilante?" The woman asked, now directing to Garou.

"Oh, um, yes." Garou followed Ghin's lead, placing trust in the kid for now - albeit he had no idea how to play a vigilante in the first place.

"Hm."

Humming to herself, she walked up to Garou, eyes glazing him from head to toe. Her face closed in, inches away from Garou's own, cursorily inspecting Garou's most prominent and minute minutiae. Upon proximity, Garou could smell the woman's permeating perfume, the aroma vanilla with a rosy floral tang.

Her eyes gravitated towards his most prominent features, his pitch-black demonic eye, his crimson-stained hair, and an overall countenance that inspired initial terror at first encounter.

"Shouldn't you be more scared of him? He looked more like a villain than a hero."

"He's more awesome like this. Plus, there are villain-looking heroes like Gang Orca, so he's cool."

Tsukihana hummed in thought, nodding in understanding. Heroes with villainous appearances do exist, so she cannot criticize his appearance.

"Where's your costume?" The woman now wondered where the man stored his costume.

'Costume?' Garou almost flinched from the word, finding the concept of costumes, especially those of this world's, abominable. That one word piqued an unwanted image of himself donned in one of those ridiculous costumes both the heroes and villains wore, a vision he quickly erased from his memory. He detested the idea of hero costumes, even more so after encountering the ilk infesting these lands.

"He doesn't have one," Ghin answered for him before Garou could stutter.

"No costume? You perform your duties in public naked?" The woman asked with a mix of suspicion and amusement.

"He's poor. So much, he can't even afford a cup of water." Ghin jibes sheepishly.

Several tick marks swelled under Garou's skin, his head thrown back at the boy on his shoulders. The boy did that on purpose to tease him by bringing up his financial state, evident by his furtive smile behind his head.

"A vagrant vigilante without even a one yen coin? Interesting, but I find your reasoning unsound. How did that alone gives you credence to hire a wandering homeless man?"

More tick marks erupted from Garou's skull at the fulminating yet intentional remark. Did the woman join the kid against him?

"I had to! There's no one else, and he's the best one there is! Plus he's cheap!" Ghin defended from atop Garou's shoulders, though the second mentioning of his extremely economical inexpensiveness earned Ghin another tick mark from Garou. The Hero Hunter swore the woman almost deflated a chuckle from her stern exterior. He started to despise her.

The woman narrowed her eyes at her nephew's steed, still inspecting the man as if scouring for any reactions indicating furtive motives.

Although all she detected were signs of irritation and angst, she did not know why, but his responses were very entertaining, a feeling shared by the boy as well.

After spotting nary a single sign of malice, the woman asked, "…what's his Quirk?"

"It's-"

"No. I want to hear it from him."

The woman dragged the boy down from the high ground, removing his role as Garou's defendant. Sharply swift, she did not allow the man recourse, wanting confirmation from the man's lips, not the boy's.

Slightly caught off guard, Garou felt only awkward silence filling his throat. Not a single idea came to mind, and the concept of Quirks abhorred Garou.

However, an idea arrived, one will answer her curiosity without needing to divulge his origins.

"Let me show you," Garou answered upon finding his remedy, earning a quirked brow from the lawyer in response.

Walking up to the couch centering the living room, his passenger still on board, with a squat followed by an extension of his arm, he gripped the couch's leg and lifted it effortlessly in one hand, demonstrating his monstrous might to the woman.

Tsukihana blinked twice in reflex to the sight of his casualness. He seemed to lift it so leisurely as if the furniture was as light as a feather.

"Is it Muscle Reinforcement?" She guessed.

"Nope."

In the interim, Garou gently returned the couch to its prior position, setting it down on all its four legs without jolting the furniture before the woman continued.

"Weight manipulation?" She cocked a brow as she second-guessed.

Garou smirked, "Wrong."

The woman slanted her eyes to sharp slits. Walking up to the 'bodyguard,' heels clicking on the planks with palpable impatience, she placed her hand under the couch and grunted in her attempt to lift the couch. However, the weight fought against her attempts, unaltered by any supernatural forces, and proved her suspicions false.

"Are you going to tell me afterward?"

"If you guess right, I might. But that will never happen."

Challenged, Tsukihana narrowed her eyes with a countenance reformed by provoked pride.

"Do you really want to challenge me, _boy_?" She said with emphasis on the last word.

"And if I do, _girl_?" Garou's smirk widened, emboldened with confidence.

Tensions in the air sparked with tangible friction between the lawyer and the man who hunted heroes for fun. One acting as if invaders encroached her territory without permission while the other felt as if his rights were threatened without just cause.

Their first encounter and their relationship already degenerated to that of rival wolves fighting over a plot of territory, though none could discern it at a single glance.

While the two antagonists clashed with glares and threats, still on Garou's shoulder, Ghin attempted to stifle his giggles at the amusing interactions between them. At first, he dreaded that Garou's digging his own grave, but instead it leads to something unexpectedly funny - despite knowing that Garou's staying here was at risk.

"Hoh, you have some grit for talking back. I could kick you out to the streets, you worthless vagrant."

Several more tick marks popped, swelling with cordoned angst. His first encounter and the woman defeated him in a verbal bout, the perks of a lawyer maybe. Or the smarm that comes with it.

"Aunty, can we keep him? Pleaaaaasse? I promise to keep him well-behaved," Ghin begged.

'I'm not a puppy,' Garou retorted mentally. The conversation felt like that of a child begging the parent to keep a stray dog.

Tsukihana looked up, seeing Ghin attempting to look cute - the boy's eyes widening and his bottom lips quivering. The lawyer returned the gaze for a moment, seemingly contemplating her options.

"As capable as… what is your name, by the way?" Tsukihana asked.

"Bang."

"As capable as Bang may seem, I cannot allow a man with such an unknown background stay in our home."

The boy whimpered, sniffing in protest - actively taking advantage of his age to maximum effect.

It was super effective; the lawyer's steeled heart melting like ice under the sun.

"But… I will allow it - only to see if he is truly capable of earning my trust. Which brings the question."

Before she allowed herself to blush, Tsukihana lowered her gaze from Ghin to Garou.

"Do you have a resume? Any identification?"

Both boy and Hunter stiffened, their blood flash-froze to ice. The boy did not plan for any form of resume for Garou, nor did Garou expect to need such things.

"Of course, you don't. I wasted my breath asking that from a homeless vagrant…" The silver-haired woman sighed as she pinched the bridge of her nose as if to vent her growing stress.

"When hiring an employee, you must ensure that the applicant possesses a decent background, Ghin. You cannot just pick someone up from the streets without checking their history. That is the prime rule of an employer, but I don't blame you for not doing so." The woman sighed, her pinching fingers sliding down the bridge of her nose and past her cheeks. Stress seemed to radiate from her like rejected heat from a cooling furnace.

"In any case, I shall permit the opportunity to present your worth, Mr. Bang. My nephew's trusting you, and your presence seems positive enough for his health."

While his smile was beaming at Tsukihana, the boy pumped both fists in the air with celebration.

"Yay!"

"However."

The Auntie narrowed her eyes at Garou. Tsukihana rested a hand on her hip before she continued.

"If I catch any criminal elements from you, I will not hesitate to kick you out penniless you vagrant."

"I do have a name, you know?" 'Bang' interjected.

"Vagrant will be your name until I say otherwise."

Now confirming her newfound fondness of ridiculing him, picking on his poor state to her whimsical delight, Garou ground his teeth behind his lips as he fumed. Ghin nearly laughed in response to her verbal antagonism, his eyes briefly glancing down at Garou from his shoulder to check his reaction while holding his mouth shut. Usually, he would fear for Tsukihana's safety, but knowing Garou after a few months, he was sure he would not pound a civilian woman to a bloody pulp without a valid pretext.

"Are we clear on the terms of your 'employment,' vagrant?"

This time, she spoke with a sense of smugness in her tone. It was super effective given her authority.

"Crystal," Garou seethed.

"Good. But first…"

Looking up from Garou, she laid her eyes on Ghin. In a complete change, she smiled at Ghin and held out her hand.

"Ghin, sweety. Come on down. I bought your favorites like always. I even got you a new All Might toy."

Her tone dramatically shifted, as if with the flick of a switch, from acerbically strict to motherly and gentle. Garou raised a brow as he looked up though, from his perspective, could only see from below his chin. So the woman had a soft side, he surmised, her austerity reserved for strangers and the suspicious.

Now that Garou thought about it, she had every right to suspect him. He was the Hero Hunter, The Hunter Amongst Villains, The Nightmare of Heroes… he had many titles. He preferred the first but later grew fond of the latter upon hearing it. It complimented him and his character very well to a satisfying extent.

"But I don't wanna…" The boy shook his head, hugging Garou's head with his small arms.

Tsukihana raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

Ghin never denied her ever since he moved into her home. He was usually obedient at home, as opposed to the presence of strangers. But here he was, attached to an outsider as if he was family.

"I don't wanna," Ghin repeatedly whined.

Tsukihana blinked. His disobedience caught her off guard, his attachment to the stranger worrisome.

"Why?" Tsukihana asked.

"I like it here."

His attachment was worse than she conjectured.

"I… Please?" She asked, urging for him to get down.

"No."

"Pfff."

Garou almost laughed at her being troubled by the young child's defiance. It was hilarious to him, but not so much for the lawyer.

Annoyed, she shot a flashing glare at the smug Hero Hunter before warmly returning to Ghin, "Come on, Ghin. I know it's been a while since we last saw each other, but please listen to Aunty."

"No," Ghin childishly refused.

Garou could see a vein swelling underneath her skin, the sight filling Garou with pride. He had turned the boy to the dark side, his side, a famous phrase from an ancient but iconic sci-fi movie he watched with the boy during the months. He liked the laser swords and choreography, he admitted.

"Please climb down. It's not right to ride a stranger's back." A slight semblance of authority mixed with her motherly tone, her impatience almost showing.

"But he's not a stranger," Ghin argued.

She looked at Garou, seeing 'Bang's' smug smile widening by the second.

"Um, I see… what is he?" She asked as the two corners of her lips creaked down, from a smile to a frown, slowly as if a Mutant Quirk user was bending a straight iron bar into an arch.

"He's family."

His answer was surprising, almost touching Garou's soft spot. It was… heartwarming in a sense for the boy to consider him like family, piquing his memories within Bang's dojo before he defected.

"Uh-I-I see… much has happened since I was sequestered." She almost stuttered, caught off guard by his statement. Her composure shaken less than a second before it refortified.

"Well, it… seems I have to apologize for my initial rudeness slightly. Little Ghin seems more attached to you than I thought… which is astonishing."

Tsukihana's lips quivered at the sight of Ghin hugging Garou's head. Her discouragement almost seemed palpable, prickling even.

"So you take back your words?" Garou's smirk curled into a demonic twist, his evil almost showing. It unnerved and irritated the female lawyer.

"One more word and I will make you sleep outside," she threatened.

Garou did not mind sleeping outdoors, though. He appreciated the taste of starlit air in the absence of sunlight.

"So he can stay?" Ghin asked with a hopeful tone, his eyes sparkling with anticipation and ahoge wagging with excitement.

"Hah…" the woman sighed almost as if defeated.

"Fine. I will permit Bang's crude employment and the… discount terms of his pay."

Garou wondered if he should demand a raise, now livid with their mocking his generosity and way of living.

"Yay! Thank you, Aunty!" Ghin pumped both his arms up in genuine joy, smiling with radiance at the woman.

Before she could respond, the boy hopped down from Garou's shoulders and patted his feet towards Tsukihana, hugging her left leg with hands and cheek. From Garou's perspective, the boy now acted his age. From Tsukihana's perspective, he looked absolutely precious.

"Hah…" She sighed with a tone of fatigue. However, Garou could see the lawyer smiling in contrast, seemingly warmed by the boy's adorable mien.

"Alright, he can stay." She placed a hand on Ghin's silver hair, gently rubbing his head out of maternal affection.

The Master-Disciple duo has overcome their first obstacle. The master of the den had accepted the wolf into the fold.

"But he will sleep outside every night. I don't trust him with our possessions yet."

"I'm not a stray dog," Garou reminded.

Responding with a wry smile, "I know. You're a vagrant, aren't you?" Tsukihana chimed with delight.

Garou's right eye twitched. The woman grew fond of her nickname for him. Now that he thought about it, how long did the woman usually stay home?

"So… how long do your breaks usually last?"

Tsukihana cocked a brow, "I've got a few months at least. This might be our first meeting, but my cases usually last a week or so."

"The boy didn't see you for months, alone and afraid. Care to explain that?"

That was one blunder he refused to let go. While the lawyer did seem like an upstanding citizen, she still abandoned the boy for months - leaving the boy vulnerable and in harm's way under the eyes of unwanted predators.

Hearing this, Tsukihana softened her features, her eyes downcast as her lips squinted.

"I know… and I appreciate your looking after Ghin. It was unforgivable on my part."

The lawyer admitted, but that only stokes Garou's ire. Garou's tone lowered to tense suspicion, "Then why do-"

"I made a mistake." She swiftly broke him off.

Garou knew. The boy did explain the concept of 'sequester.' "You were blindsided, weren't you?"

It made sense. She didn't leave her nephew unprotected out of pure negligence. Her opponent ensnared her into a judicial trap.

"…it was my second case against someone of Fuai's level. He did not allow me respite and took advantage of some articles of the Constitution to trap me in office. I was locked out."

"Then why do it if you knew the consequences?"

"I don't need to explain myself to a stranger who has no business in our lives. But fine, I had no choice. It may not seem like it, but I'm… mmm, struggling. I… didn't expect my sister and brother-in-law to lose her life so soon."

The atmospheric shift from happy to awkwardly crestfallen as the boy looked down at the mention of his parents, his small eyes quivering with sorrow from memories long gone. The duo's victory now soured by nostalgic pain from the child's past.

Pursing his lips in uncomfortable understanding upon touching a sensitive subject, Garou slowly nodded as he spoke, "Sorry."

Tsukihana sighed as she exhaled, closing her eyes as she calmed herself from her stress.

"Apology accepted. I do not blame you for your criticism but remember your place here in this household. If it were anywhere else, you might've been fired for outspeaking your boundaries."

Garou could understand that. But now that he overcame his trial with the actual landlord of this demesne…

"Anyways… what now? Am I supposed to…"

After settling their tensions, Tsukihana pursed her lips in thought, "Since you are technically my nephew's employee, I have a simple errand for you to run."

"What kind of errand?"

"I need you to… go shopping, buy us ingredients for our supper. I'll hand you a list later on. I trust you won't botch this task, vagrant?"

"Hah?"

The sparks rekindled between the two as the two clashed with unyielding, frictional stares.

From the sidelines watching the two territorial predators resuming their silent bout, the boy smiled impishly. His life might not encounter the usual silence anytime soon, a life he was looking forward to in the coming days.

* * *

Evening clouds were slowly smearing the twilight, the sun slowly descending in the horizon as the land darkened from radiant yellow to orange. The weather forecasted rain the next morning as the humidity of Hosu's air thickened.

Standing at the front of Garou's calligraphic graffiti, several heroes stood to gaze at the macabre art with various reactions. One felt disgusted and horrified by the implication behind the red kanji. One believed that the painter had gone too far with his stunts. One found an opportunity to surpass his better, his lips curving into a smile filled with anticipation.

The manhunt team had arrived in Hosu, heroes selected explicitly to handle and deal with the Hero Hunter and bring him behind bars. Standing straight with his bulky arms crossed on his chest, Endeavour scrutinized the graffiti to its detail, deciphering Garou's psychological profile, albeit all he discerned behind the painting was the mind of a violent villain like the rest.

Eraserhead stood beside Endeavour, wondering what laid behind the enigmatic mind of the Demon. Frankly, he never thought that one person could escalate terror to this extent, even though he did fear that a villain possessing an unstoppable Quirk would surface one day, but he did not expect one would emerge like this and so soon. However, as long as the villain wasn't a mutant-type, Aizawa was confident he could remove the fangs and claws of this predator for safe capture. Garou's supposed Quirk was most likely of the active type at least.

"Damn, this seems a bit too morbid even for villains. I think… well, what do you guys think?" Snipe asked behind Aizawa, the lens of his gas mask reflecting the graffiti.

"I don't think I need to specify how dangerous this man is," Aizawa replied.

Every hero at this point was aware of the threat Garou posed alone. Anyone not aware of Garou should not be possible.

"Which is even more important we end this promptly. The longer we wait, the greater the chance we'll lose him." Endeavour spoke before turning around, his back now facing the Hero Hunter's callsign.

"One moment. Think you can track this guy, Hound Dog?" Eraserhead asked.

Hound Dog, another Pro Hero from UA, approached the red stain on the wall and sniffed the controlled blood stains in hopes of catching the Hero Hunter's scent.

However, he grimaced instead, snarling with displeasure. He could barely smell Garou's scent anymore, but he did scent the tears of his victims mixed in with the coagulated blood. The Hero could imagine the victims begging and crying the Hero Hunter for mercy, only for Garou to continue his art project unfazed.

"The stench of blood is palpable. I can smell Garou's trail as if seeing moonlight at night time."

Hound Dog's answer tensed the hearts of the heroes present. Edgeshot, Kamui, Best Jeanist, those determined to end Garou's reign of terror once and for all. Some were nervous, clenching their fingers and bracing their hearts for the inevitable encounter with the Hero Hunter. Others were resolute, ready for whatever dangers Garou had in store.

So far, Garou's Quirk demonstrates exceptional speed, extraordinary might, uncanny agility, and undisclosed supernatural applications. No matter what Quirk the Heroes and Villains threw, Garou would punish them tenfold for their resistance. The reports of their encounter shared only one similarity: Garou is a monster in human skin.

His presence inspired doubt, extracting fear from the stoutest hearts, only for the negative emotions to amplify once Garou engaged them. All layering securities, all assurances, both physical and mental, torn to apart like paper as Garou laid his victims' insecurities naked before his reach. Hope and courage doused by blood ripped from their wounds, their confidence, strong as castle walls, collapsed under siege like their bones, and ideals left broken like their very bodies, leaving them only empty shells of what they once were - an accurate summary that complemented the consequences of encountering the bloodthirsty demon, compiled from the earliest Heroes that fell in the first month.

The Heroes hunted after that did not suffer such dire fates as Garou grew more lenient with the heroes, but not the villains as Garou slowly channeled more of his violence towards them, leaving them in states that were too graphic for the media to promulgate.

The police officers around the heroes, standing in wait bedecked in heavy SWAT armor and armed to the teeth with rifles, prayed, not only for their safety but also for the heroes' success. Ever since Garou conducted his hunts, none of the police fell under his eye, left alone to their devices, unlike the heroes. However, his actions indirectly lead to their endangerment, carelessly inciting mass villain outbreaks that took months to quell due to the mass absence of heroes.

Endeavour almost grinned as his path to glory was in sight. This manhunt was his opportunity, his most excellent chance to reach All Might's and subsequently surpass him. Even with the competition at his side, he will be the one who defeats The Hero Hunter at the end.

In the silence, Hound Dog continued sniffing, trying to catch Garou's scented trail.

"Then let us move. Today will be the last the Hero Hunter walks the streets a free man."

Endeavour proclaimed with supreme confidence.

* * *

 **Author here. I feel like my writing style needs some expansion still. I also still feel as if my affinity for the BNHA series is weak. Might need someone more attuned to the series to help me on that part. Anyways, enjoy. Thanks to B33RUS for editing my things.**


	10. Chapter 10: Hunter's Truth

**Author: Good news and bad news. Good news, I made an omake in first person narrative. Guess who it is. Bad news, I've made grave grammar errors on a misconception and am planning to fix all of my chapters from now on - did clean up Chapter 3 though as I adjusted the All Might-Garou dialogue a lot. Feel proud of myself. Check it out. Might fix some other chapters since they feel sloppy in some areas, like how I inserted the Hunter Amongst Villain title in the previous chapters. Either way, enjoy this treasure as I fix my past mistakes.**

* * *

During a manhunt, the heroes must spearhead as scouts and then leading the main force of whom laid in wait in their respective police stations or at certain checkpoints away from civilian traffic. Once the target was found, the scout alarmed the rest of the forces into exigent actions, converge the criminal from all sides and box him or her in - cutting the person off from any potential escape and gun them down.

The scale depended on the danger level the individual pose, and for Garou, the government reserved one of the largest welcome party in Japan's history, all of the members designed to disarm Garou's defenses and capture him with overwhelming numbers and might - All Might exempted, however.

No matter how many times the heroes asked, the coordinating leader, Sir Nighteye, did not divulge the reason why All Might did not join them. Days before, Endeavour was especially perplexed by his absence, expecting the Symbol of Peace to jump at the chance to take down the public menace, but later quelled his concern in favor for the promise of glory.

Now, the lead scouting squad ventured the trail, a group of five lead by Hound Dog - the light-brown Lycan sniffed the concrete as the other four scouting the area around their tracker. To avoid attention from the masses the heroes dispersed, maneuvering through the streets or across the rooftops. None of the civilians approached Hound Dog unlike the days before the Hero Hunter. No children were running up to Hound Dog asking for autographs, no parents asking for pictures. They knew why he was here, aware of the manhunt for The Hero Hunter, The Nightmare of Heroes. The Hunter Amongst Villains.

The scent of which he tracked later lead to another trail, the other more recent than the current.

One trail depicted Garou leaving the crime scene, reeking of blood from head to toe. The other…

'He is mocking us.' Hound Dog growled, flashing his glistening teeth behind his retracted lips.

The latter trail was fresh, showing Garou returning to the crime scene erstwhile. Hound Dog knew of the Hero Hunter's… glaring accouterments. According to Sir Nighteye's summary of Garou, the man was unpredictable in mind and action, a being that thrives in violence outside the border of common sense.

And so recently too, the other scent a few hours old, as if the Hero Hunter was openly mocking them, taunting them brazenly.

Hound Dog swore to apprehend Garou this day, in the name of all the heroes he'd defeated and sent to the hospitals.

Traveling across the rooftops, Eraserhead and Snipe watched Hound Dog below as the warm, humid breeze of the summer air caressed their skin and gently billowed their respective scarves.

"Hey, Eraserhead. I've been wondering on one thing for a while."

Snipe asked wanting to kill some time.

"What is it?" Eraserhead responded, his voice slightly exhausted and dull.

"Ever wonder why Garou never killed any of us?" Snipe asked.

"Well…" Eraserhead had no idea. So far, all the villains he apprehended were just violent and without any meaningful or coherent purpose, delinquents rampaging for the sake of violence. Garou was an even stranger animal, however.

"I don't know. But I can tell there is a semblance of some motivation behind his actions."

Garou's proclivities were unique unlike the rest, the first that preferred leaving heroes severely injuries in body and spirit en masse, but still left them alive nonetheless.

"Maybe he trying to scare people into not becoming heroes or villains." Snipe guessed.

"That… might be possible."

It would explain his hatred towards both sides of the coin. Eraserhead could sympathize with those sick of the villains popping up like flies, albeit not those against the heroes.

"At this point, I don't think he's even categorized as a villain anymore. These days, Garou's hunts of heroes are now more…" Snipe paused trying to find the right words to describe Garou's recent hunts.

"Tame? Mild?" Eraserhead inputted.

"Downright humiliating. Worse, I don't know if it's a good thing or a bad thing."

Now, the heroes Garou hunted would join the body pile in a more… asinine fashion. There was even one time when Garou crammed Slidin' Go into a trash can and kicked him down rolling a steep, concrete slope. Reports confirmed that Garou smiled once the hero crash into a parked car at a sharp corner. Many more shared Slidin' Go's fate, forced to roll downhill while bathed in stinking garbage along the way.

It was as if Garou found more entertainment slaughtering their dignity than their bodily health. He even hung another Hero on a pole by their underwear which was absurd, making him more like an out-of-control prankster at this point.

"Well…" Aizawa has no comment on Garou's sudden transition from a demonic nightmare to a prankster imp.

"He still has a lot to answer for."

Snipe shrugged. "Yeah. We can find out after we apprehend him."

As they finished their chat, they heard Hound Dog speaking through their earphone communicators.

"[Hound Dog, here. Picked up a new trail, one stronger than before. Following now.]"

Snapped out of their idleness, Eraserhead placed a hand on the device, a grey wireless earphone inserted in the ear canal and fastened around the ear.

"Copy that. Team on standby."

Sneaking through the streets, Hound Dog continued sampling the air with each whiff as he turned his head to another area. If he recalled during their briefing, the area must be Hosu's market district. The time settled in early eve, streetlights still unlit as the sun still hovered obliquely above the horizon.

Entering the crossroad, Hound Dog saw Hosu's market district. From right and left, delis, cafes, and more marked by signs and billboards fencing the near-empty street. Car traffic was scarce, barely half the avenues filled on either side of the dividing yellow line - the air so quiet that not even the hum of engines was deserving of even an iota of attention.

Scenting the air once more, Hound Dog blinked. Garou's scent was most active here despite there being many trails. Just up ahead down the road.

"Strange…"

The tracks confused him. If the odors did not lie, Garou was here, just around the left turn. Unsure, Hound Dog followed them, his nose cyclically sampling the air, as the tracks lead him closer to the source.

'Is he… shopping?' It was the only plausible reason for his presence here, but he quickly shook his head. The very idea of Japan's Number One Menace purchasing goods like an ordinary citizen was beyond absurd, like saying All Might had secretly converted into a villain.

But his nose did not lie, and the trail was leading him to a supermarket right through the glass slide doors and within the room-lit interior. Rising to his two feet from his quadruped stance, the canine hero stared at the door while growling through his black muzzle encasing his snout.

He was here. Hound Dog was sure of it. Garou's stench was too strong to dismiss like an area so recently marked despite his beliefs.

He must alert his team to formulate a plan before-

The sound of the slide doors opening shook the Hero from his deep rumination. The scent grew active, the source drawing nearer and nearer until…

Hound Dog widened his eyes. Garou left the building through the automatic glass doors, staring at the Hero face to face with the supermarket light casting Garou's long shadow which shrouded almost all of Hound Dog minus the head.

The atmosphere suddenly dropped in temperature as tension rose, all warmth in the air died under Garou's gaze. The one with twin-pronged hair of bright crimson and demonic black dying his right sclera stood before Hound Dog face to face, the eyes of the first eerily fixed onto the latter's eyes with nary a twitch, radiating tension sparked between the two, their encounter was so sudden it left Hound Dog in a stupor.

And now after facing Garou, Hound Dog instantly understood the difference between seeing Garou through pictures and meeting him in person.

Garou's very presence was polarizing, simultaneously like a roaring flame burning those around and a cold void leeching the heat from the surroundings. Or maybe it was a fire that feeds on the temperature of others, robbing the energies to sustain its false brilliance, a flame that preys on other flames so to speak.

It was the closest metaphor he could find to describe Garou's aura of intimidation.

"Sup."

"!" His tone was calm, casual, but his hostility was palpably conveyed, like pricking thorns scratching his fur and drawing phantom blood.

Snapping out of his stupor, Hound Dog reached for his ear comm, but Garou was faster.

As his fingers were mere centimeters from turning on his commlink, his skull rattled from below his chin to his brain. The environment around him distorted, visual lucidity fading into blurs, as he felt his hold to reality slipping from his hand.

The Dog Hero did not know that Garou instantly knocked him out with a kick below the snout even as his awareness faded.

"'Scuse me."

Garou nodded as he bypassed Hound Dog. The hero behind him stood unconscious on his feet, his body not even tilting or swaying under even the breeze; a feat something none of the heroes could expect. It was as if he was lost in thought, his head in the clouds while his hand raised to scratch an itch.

None of the passersby even noticed his condition, dismissing his inactivity as usual — none except the hero fluttering in the air, his form flat and thin like paper.

Edgeshot didn't perceive what Garou did to Hound Dog, But that did not stop him from alerting the rest to Garou's location.

However, just when he attempted to reach for his ear comm, he saw Garou turning his head toward his direction.

He knew. Their time now fell under a limit upon their prey making his move.

* * *

"Well, they're quicker than I thought…"

In all honesty, Garou did underestimate their effectiveness. Their response time did catch him by surprise, giving credence to the media's claim of their schedule packed in handling the many villains that popped up after his debut.

'Still, how many villains did it take for them to not pursue me after so long?' However, their late delay of pursuit did call their efficiency of handling villains into question. By all means, he was sure that he posed a more significant threat than all the villains in Japan combined.

Turning away from the weird cosplaying hero with the body of a paper plane, Garou surmised that they might have prioritized public security over him. They did have a responsibility to the people after all.

As Garou pondered, he walked across the street parallel to his side of the sidewalk, towards the bus stop leading to the mostly unpopulated neighborhood. If the heroes have even a speck of intelligence, they would understand that his dare to follow his lead.

The bus arrived, four tires underneath, extended white chassis, and the annoying ad sponsoring the shampoo of a useless blonde Medusa posing as a hero plastering the sides.

"Hmph," Garou glared at the sight of Uwabami, the view of the hero reminding him of Amai Mask.

Garou along with a few others, a mother and daughter, a medium-aged man in a suit with his eyeballs literally floating out the sockets, he paid his fare and took a seat in the back right next to the parent and child.

In his seat, his gaze staring at the man with floating eyeballs, he grimaced. No matter how many times he'd seen them, the mutants types, he cannot adapt in this land of strange common sense. The people here are weirder than monsters, the reason that they're not monsters in general. Usually, those with inhuman features like the floating eyeballs person would attack and terrorize out of instinct. Like how could the eyeballs float out his socket anyway? Did the guy lose them sometimes? Wait, the eyeballs were turning his way.

Looking away from the eyeballs, Garou returned his thoughts to the topic. In summary, the sight of inhuman beings mingling with society as ordinary citizens was disconcerting for a man born in a xenophobic world filled with death.

But at least he knew how to differentiate them from monsters, using their auras in generally. For someone like him, it was simple to distinguish the mutant Quirk users and monsters apart. The critical difference being monsters possess no trace of humanity in their mind, body, and soul while mutant Quirk users still do in mind and soul.

As he dwelled in his thoughts, he felt something small and soft tugging his loose trousers. Looking down, he saw the girl, her short hair rich scarlet and her eyes ruby red, looking up at him with curiosity behind her gaze.

"Mister. Why is your right eye black and the other not?" She asked, pointing at Garou's right eye, specifically the black sclera.

"Aya! Don't be rude to strangers!" The mother lightly chastised, her tone harsh and disciplinary.

"No, it's fine, ma'am." Garou didn't mind.

Even he cannot explain the black sclera and red hair. He suspected himself achieving around half of his goal under great hardship, almost becoming a monster of his dream. However, his progress stagnated because of his environment, his foes too weak to push him past his limits, which was aggravating.

"I get that a lot."

Even the boy asked how he got his makeover ever since he revealed his hair's original color.

"So is it a Quirk? What is it?" The girl, Aya, asked, looking up at Garou with eyes overflowing with innocent curiosity.

"Well…" Garou pursed his lips. "I don't know, but it is not from a Quirk."

No harm was present in divulging the truth since the natives disregard non-Quirk preternatural occurrences as myths.

"You lying." She pouted in return.

"What? It's the truth. I have no Quirk, believe it or not." He chuckled, finding her reaction to his teasing amusing.

"Are you wearing a costume then?" She asked, tilting her head curiously.

"Nope." He couldn't stop his smile from growing wider.

"Stop lying!" She complained.

"I'm not."

He found this conversation enjoyable. At least until he made the last stop, he can feel the presence of the paper hero known as Edgeshot trailing him behind a considerable distance.

"Mommy, he is being mean!" Aya complained to her mother of whom looked at Garou with slight disapproval and warmth.

"Aya, sweety, you shouldn't bother someone you don't know. And you, stop teasing Aya. What should you do if she cries?" She asked.

"Alright, alright." Garou raised both hands in mock surrender.

While they chat, the bus slowed to a piecemeal halt, the engines lowered to a continuous, constant hum in its stasis.

"Aya, it's our stop. Time to go, sweety."

The woman said as she rose from her seat and gently pulled her daughter's hand. Aya dragged her, the mother smiled and bid Garou farewell.

"Goodbye, mister!" Aya replied, waving her hand at Garou. Garou waved back with a simple raise of his hand while watching her leave out the steps followed by the other passengers behind her. Now, it was only him left, seats devoid of presence as the bus revved back to life as it traveled towards the last stop.

"Last stop, Owado Street. After making it to the last stop, please leave the bus. I repeat, there are no more stops after the next stop."

The driver announced, prompting Garou to grin as his fingers tightened around his shopping bags. Even without his eyes, he can feel it. Many more eyes joined him, gazing at his presence outside the streets almost unseen.

Now it was his turn to leave.

"Thanks." Garou thanked the driver after leaving the bus, smiling with slight anticipation. It had been a while since the first batch of heroes hunted him down. The real question remained: will they match the might of their predecessors?

Impossible. No wounds plagued the Hunter this time.

As he left, when the bus finally drove away, Garou waited in the silent twilight with one shoulder facing the road ahead and the other behind, basking under the sinking sun in the horizon once again. Looking up as the night choked out all the light slowly and the street lights lamping the streets in the sun's place, he realized that the sun did set when he fought All Might. It was poetic, symbolic even, signifying the darkness dominating the light once more.

"Well, how long will you rats prowl? Get out of there already."

Speaking to the shadows, Garou did not bother to allow even his assailants a brief glimpse. He waited as the heroes started to approach from the shadows, the alleyways around the square streets.

Many costumes arrived one by one, Edgeshot first, some guy of whom black fur covered fur from head to toe adorned in a haori and a hakama, and more that he didn't recognize now.

Garou didn't bother learning the names of the other heroes besides the top ten, minus a few exceptions at least. Sliding the bag from his palm to his wrist, Garou reached into his hero encyclopedia underneath his shirt just in case.

Taking it out, he flipped the pages by the thumb for a moment. However, his keen ears picked up ringing bangs of gunfire, most likely from firearms, two shots followed by two bullets whistling to him. In the interim as the world around him slowed to a perceived crawl, he calmly absorbed the sound of which two high caliber bullets emitted. But their trajectory was abnormal, each round curving towards their respective targets; one for the shoulder and the other his thigh.

Without looking away from his manual, Garou flung the manual ogee leftwards, trapping two bullets of which some hero decided to fire from the rooftops between the pages. Following the bullets' trajectory, Garou found a man garbed in western cowboy attire with a gas mask covering his face across the roof. He flashed him a brief smirk before tilting his manual to facing the floor, letting the bullets clatter by his feet as if to condescend his efforts before resuming his browsing the manual.

In the sidelines, Kesagiriman lifted his visor out of shock. Edgeshot stared at Garou dumbfounded, unable to process the feat.

"What the hell…" Snipe couldn't believe it. It was the first time he encountered someone capable of catching two high-velocity bullets with flawless precision and timing. Sir Nighteye did not only exaggerate the threat Garou posed, and he understated how dangerous he could become.

"Let's see…" Garou murmured, undeterred by the preemptive strike, as his eyes scoured the pages for the names of the heroes around him.

"Snipe. Hmmm, Kesagiriman? What a dumb name."

Kesagiriman felt offended by Garou's comment on the sidelines.

"Hmmm, oh, Ectoplasm? I see. What else…"

In Garou's idleness, vehicles ranging from police cars and SWAT vans entered the scene from both entries in droves, cordoning him. Heavily armed officers bedecked in heavy gear, ranging from riot helmets and full-body kevlar and each wielding submachine guns and rifles, and heroes exited the vehicles from the sides of the white cars and back of the vans.

"Best Jeanist, Kamui… Midnight?" Garou eyed the R-18 Hero, ocularly glazing her BSDM costume from head to toe, questioning her attire's legality.

"Hm." He ignored the pervert, wanting to remain pure from her taint.

Now that Garou thought about it, he got the attention of a lot of heroes. A tree guy, another in full light metal armor, and more, and unexpectedly some that Garou sent them to the hospital. He did not expect some of his previous victims to join the strike team, like Crimson Riot. Garou was surprised by Crimson Riot especially since he did bend his limbs and folded the red hero into a literal human pretzel before throwing him into the body pile.

'Is that Eraserhead?' Garou blinked at the adventitious sight of the infamous Anti Quirk hero. He pondered on Aizawa's physical capability now that he thought about it. Should he test him in this clash?

Although the one standing behind the firing line dwarfed Eraserhead's presence after Garou took notice of him, revealing himself to be Endeavour. Now it was starting to interest him.

Returning the handbook in his shirt, deciding to have fun being in the dark, Garou smirked as he greeted them, "So, after all these months, you idiots finally showed up? Took your sweet time, though. I was getting bored." Garou mocked as he gently placed his shopping bags on the floor.

His eyes glazed at his new environ, absorbing the presence of the heroes and law enforcement around him. Despite knowing their full capabilities, he found this exciting in a sense. This might be his first encounter dealing with organized law enforcement as well.

"Give it up, Garou. Your 'hunting' days are over. If you know my Quirk, you'll know it won't end well in your favor."

Garou gave the speaking Eraserhead his attention, his interest aroused.

"So?"

"'So?'" Eraserhead returned his question. "Are you saying you can escape this?"

Garou blinked for a moment before it finally hit him. So _that_ was their grandmaster plan? After all of his accomplishments, all of the body piles, this was the solution to their victory?

"Are you serious?" Garou asked, his voice dropped from jeering to the deathly grave, his smirk thrown into an instant frown. Did they actually think he had a Quirk? That they can just shut down his physical might and apprehend without resistance? Just like that?

"Are you sure you would rather come with us in scathed?" Endeavour replied in Eraserhead's stead. "I suggest you save us the trouble and tranquilizers and come quietly. There's much you've to answer for."

His arrogant response prompted the pincering lines of kneeling SWAT members to tense their own triggers with stress, the tense atmosphere starting to weigh down their composure in this iconic moment. The Hero Hunter stood before them, his fangs and claws disarmed, his form rendered vulnerable to conventional weaponry. If he did not come quietly, blood would be shed this day. Unlike before, none can afford failure - Garou's presence alone was jeopardizing enough. They cannot allow him to remain free, out of bars or within life.

Within the pause, Garou stared at Endeavour, his eyes stoic, unreadable. These heroes had not a single clue on how to handle dangers beyond their level: no careful coordination, no planning, just simple protocol without scrutiny.

"He… hehe…" The sheer ridiculousness of it all started to get to Garou. He had been underestimated, again and again, none of those present possessing even a single iota of the true danger he posed.

"Hahaha! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Usually, such hamartias were tolerable back home. But here, after months of repeated disappointments and apparent examples of his might via his victims, they moved with less than _half_ the appropriate measures required to handle him, even if injuries riddled him bloody.

He finally understood with perfect clarity. All this time, they did not perceive him as a villain with tremendous power, but someone in possession of a dangerous Quirk — an out of control Villain that must be put down.

"So that's how it's gonna be." Garou wanted more than this. He had hope that the heroes had something to push him to his limits, but, unsurprisingly, they failed his expectations. He will punish them for their mistake, collect their compensation with their bodies.

* * *

"I hope you're ready." Garou threatened, his gaze shifting into a piercing glare of cold ire.

Garou's unnatural presence took form, his entire visage growing; as if something terrible was slowly abandoning its human disguise. The shift in the atmosphere was palpable as if lead filled the air to crush their courage under the growing weight of which all present flinched on reflex.

"To feel true terror carved in your skin."

Under his threat, all firearms present, even Snipe's pistols on the roof, primed impromptu. Their target must be delusional if he can overwhelm this obstacle while powerless.

"If you wish to fall in wounds, then so be it, 'Hero Hunter.'" Endeavour laughed, amused by his response. "Fire!"

"Open fire!"

From both sides, guns flared in a fulminous orchestra, unleashing storms of rounds of which they converge towards Garou as the center. Under Eraserhead's nullifying gaze, none of the heroes expected Garou to withstand the barrage especially after all the crimes he committed to now. None of the heroes could allow such a dangerous person to roam, but their code forbade them from killing him. Despite his atrocities, he did not take the lives of any Hero or Villain. By now, Garou should be a pincushion of tranquilizer darts, pumped full of powerful anesthetics and lying on the floor helpless.

But no blood touched the grey road, not even a drop; only slugs glancing the stone around Garou. In the silent aftermath, all stared at the singular form of the Hero Hunter speechless, unable to believe the sight in front of them.

Garou remained on his feet unharmed, arms crossed perpendicular - right arm straight forward and left wing under it - both of whose fingers held non-lethal bullets between their fingers. The residual smoke of ignited gunpowder still steamed from the metal.

"What… did he just?"

Some of the heroes could not understand what occurred. Didn't Eraserhead shut down his Quirk? All confidence of victory vanished at this scene, wasted like the spent ammunition around Garou's feet.

"What… just what happened to his Quirk? Eraserhead!" His confidence shaken, Endeavour shouted at the key player to Garou's capture.

"Eraserhe-" Endeavour cut himself off upon seeing the scarlet glow behind Eraserhead's slit visor.

His Quirk did activate, his nullifying gaze affixed to Garou unfaltered. Then how did Garou's Quirk still work under his Quirk's effect? Only two possible answers came to mind, Eraserhead's mind.

One, Garou's Quirk was, as outrageous as it seemed, completely invincible. Or two, even more outlandish, Garou did not have a single Quirk. Or, finally, three, the most possible but illogical answer, Garou's Quirk was a Mutant Type all this time.

Either way, their plan failed. In the end, Eraserhead could not remove Garou's fangs and claws, an outcome none could believe was possible.

"Are you ready?" Garou asked.

Now, mantling the shroud of terror, Garou's size seemed to double, his human features distorted by the intangible veil woven from origins unknown, the fabric indisputably inhuman.

"O-O-Open fire!" The SWAT Team panicked.

Fear for their safety devoured their equanimity, forcing the captain of the firing squad to repeat his order to down the demon before his and his fellows' bodies join the bloody pile.

However, before their fingers even tensed, Garou responded in turn. After his arms blurred at speeds beyond their perception, every gun in the vicinity fell violently disassembled, broken apart by high-velocity projectiles. Whatever Garou did to remove _their_ fangs, it knocked some of them down their feet while others stumbled from the penetrating force.

"W-What happened?! Status report!"

Endeavour shouted, now evidently concerned by the illogical turn of events.

"Our… no, no! Impossible!"

One of the SWAT team inspected the object jammed inside his submachine gun. It was the slug of the same round they fired off their weapons.

"H-He threw our tranqs back at us! That is not possible! He's not human!"

The shouting enforcer trembled before looking at Garou, seeing the monster pose as if he threw projectiles on both sides.

"What the hell?" Eraserhead couldn't understand this guy. What in the world was his Quirk?

The heroes gathered were meant to draw and quarter Garou in should he become troublesome, towards Eraserhead before neutralizing him. Sir Nighteye did mention Garou's tendency to not include civilians in his hunts, but he gathered the heroes just in case.

However, in an unexpected turn of events, the Hunter challenged them in an open field, away from public eyes, and still, he managed to defy their expectations.

"Are you done?" Garou asked. His face was now a rictus, no mockery or scorn.

His words reminded the heroes of their duty. They were here to apprehend the Hero Hunter without fail.

"Well, it looks like we got ourselves a genuine monster."

Gran Torino, an old man sharing a child's height, landed in front of Garou, a tiny, senior man possessing short spiky hair and a beard.

His costume was a full-body monochrome suit, a yellow cape fluttering behind his back, a belt with the letter 'G' on it, thick yellow gloves and boots, and a dark domino mask resembling two diamonds.

"You sure you want this, old man?" Garou asked, no gaiety present in voice or mien.

"Hah!" The elder laughed with a furious smirk.

"Who said I'm fighting you alone?"

Those around him caught Garou's narrowing eyes with focus, seemingly enough to draw him away from Edgeshot for attempted subjugation.

Three crimson lines flew towards Garou as Gran Torino shot forth, propulsing himself towards Garou from both sides.

Unfazed, Garou caught Gran Torino by the head in one hand and severed the red lines with a swipe using the other. Edgeshot watched as Garou threw Gran Torino at him, causing the foldable hero to widen his body into a paper net and catch him.

"Charge!"

Sparks igniting sparks, the other heroes charged, the battle started with Gran Torino's first move. All of the SWAT teams moved out, leaving the heroes to their jobs as the chaos begun in the natal night.

Heroic cheers filled the quiet street as they attempted to subdue the most dangerous man in Japan. However, their attempts were but the prelude to a dark epoch.

"I'll go first!" Midnight joined the fray, already pulling open her costume to release her knockout pheromones at Garou.

However, as she ran towards him, Garou appeared before her and gripped her shoulder. With a grip strength that could break bone past the muscle, Midnight felt as if Garou ripped out her strength as he incapacitated her in one move. She fell to her knees, white dominating all colors on her eyes, ready to fall defeated.

"He knocked her out with a shoulder squeeze?" Eraserhead had completely underestimated Garou.

No, everyone present did. They made sure to expect anything, but not on this scale. Their imaginations were not big enough, something they never thought possible.

The pheromones didn't even seem to affect him. His health was more vigorous than an enraged ox and just as angry.

Without wasting time, Garou tore Midnight's whip from her grasp before she completely fell facedown and swung it at Edgeshot, the thong of the whip biting the side of his nape with a thunderous crack. Next, with another swing, he slammed the undulating whip's tip at the ground to launch the bullets up via the splash force of the impact. Pivoting by his sole after ducking Kesagiriman's high-speed lariat from the side, he grabbed two of the midair bullets with his other hand and threw them at Snipe.

The bullets flew faster from his hands than those from firearms, each slug striking Snipe's guns just when he aimed at Garou after reloading - both rounds shattering the weapons apart and, through them, glanced off Snipe's shoulders. Despite the pistols softening their momentum, the projectiles nearly snapped Snipe's shoulders from their sockets, causing the hero to cry out in pain.

Joining Kesagiriman, Crimson Riot and Ingenium roared with heroic spirit in their charge towards Garou. However, without discrimination, the three flew high above in an arc, their costumes suffering dents and recurves while Ingenium's armor left cracked. The second they stepped within Garou's range, they were defeated in that same second, faster than their average eyes can see.

Eraserhead watched as the three plummeted behind him in their landing, now nothing more than unconscious casualties. Their encounter was beyond anything they imagined when facing Garou. Garou possessed power and skill far higher than any villain could achieve.

"Go!" Ectoplasm shouted before spewing glowing white fog from his lipless maw, summoning his expendable clones into the fight as Kamui, Best Jeanist, and more entered the fray.

Even with their numbers, Garou did not move. He did not need to, for his presence was as imposing as an immovable mountain.

Each of the rushing Ectoplasm clones merged to increase their size, choosing quality over quantity, Best Jeanist unleashed fired his wires which zipped around Garou toot sweet, and Kamui enlarged his hand into branching brown.

"Forced Internment Giant Bites!"

"Lacquer Chains Prison!"

The triad assault crashed down upon Garou, Kamui's wood constricting Garou, Best Jeanist's fiber strings about to tether him, and Ectoplasm's giant clone ready to devour him - an invention wrenched from desperation.

 _BOOM!_

However, Garou did not abide by standard rules. With a raise of Garou's fist after its discarding Midnight's whip, scarlet contrails following its ascension, the giant clone's head disintegrated. With three crimson swipes with the other, the wood and wires dropped to the floor as blood flowed from Kamui's palms.

"Oops," Garou uttered upon seeing blood.

"Didn't mean to do that. I thought you were a tree, honestly."

After hearing his mock apology, Kamui stared at his hands, focusing at the blood spurting from his gashes fitfully.

"Ahhhhhhgh!" Kamui screamed, clenching his hands as he stumbled back. The cuts weren't deep, but it was severe, the skin and muscle tore while the bone's slightly abraded from the friction.

"Kamui!" Best Jeanist grit his teeth.

Never before did a villain counter his fibers with contemptuous ease. A feeling shared by Ectoplasm after seeing his clone's head blasted to oblivion via one explosive punch.

"I-I'm alright!"

To prove Kamui wrong, Garou slid his foot under Midnight's whip and kicked it up to his hand and cracked it at Kamui. The tip speared into his skull, right between the forehead, and launched him back but not sans kayoing him cold. His body flew straight, covering significant ground above the terra.

Eraserhead intercepted his path, catching Kamui with spread arms, but his flight's velocity knocked him down tumbling across the floor, forcing a pained cough from Eraserhead as he set Kamui's body down the floor.

"Alright, this isn't working."

Eraserhead stated the obvious. All of their tactics were useless, countered, or turned against them, and Garou didn't move too far from his spot. It was as if he was mocking them with condescension in his demonstrating the difference between him and them.

Plan A had failed. Plan B was failing. Plan C does not exist as far as he knew. Aizawa wondered if Endeavour could take the monster.

As for Endeavour, he was watching the carnage with his arms crossed. The time was ripe for him to save the day, but the unpredictable vortex of carnage stopped him from reaping the bounty. His face retained its stoicism, but behind his visage, doubt and fear clashed with his remaining confidence and pride.

Before Endeavour, Garou cracked at Best Jeanist with his stolen whip. The fiber hero managed to parry, but it only muffled the force enough to suffer knockback sans severe damage as his back skid burning across the concrete.

None present ever thought Garou as a weapon master, but here he was, defying expectations with feats surpassing that of Midnight by a large margin. Unknown to most, Best Jeanist's ribs boiled from the impact, the damage momentarily incapacitating him.

"Now! Before he throws it again!"

Gunhead, Deatharms, and Fourth Kind joined the fray to down the menace as he pulled back his whip. Gunhead prepared to fire his keratin claw bullets from his bulky grey gauntlets as Death Arms and Fourth Kind charged with their fists raised.

"Hoh."

However, to their dismay, Garou hooked his foot under Midnight's prone body by the leg and threw her at the vanguard, towards the shooter to his surprise, causing Gunhead to halt his Quirk midway as he caught Midnight in his arms while the other two ran past him.

"You coward!" Fourth Kind roared, hungry for vengeance against Garou for sending him to the hospital in shame - for beating him using his fists, for making him hit himself.

"Same goes for you."

Retorting back, pulling the whip taut apart, Garou pirouetted under Fourth Kind's right hook and danced towards Death Arms, closing the distance so fast his face was centimeters away from Garou's.

"Whoa!" Astonished into action, Death Arms threw a left hook, but Garou ducked and spun around his left undeterred. When their backs confront, Garou's raised his arms overhead and hooked the taut thong of the whip under Death Arm's chin and pulled the hero into a choking hold tight.

Now choking the hero using the whip as a garrote wire, Garou, with his gaze, dared the others to come at him while seemingly strangling the hero.

"He's enjoying this." Endeavour now understood the drive.

Garou was now playing with them. At first, it was personal, but now he was starting to enjoy toying with their self-esteem like a cat playing with yarn. Even more so with the hero-made-hostage in his hands, his life held by the literal thread of which Death Arms desperately pulled at in his vain struggle for freedom.

Garou's lips slowly curled into a smile once the adrenaline flowed as he slowly pivoted, scanning his surroundings while his toy gagged and choked behind his ear. After stopping at a certain angle, his right shoulder facing Ectoplasm, Garou released Death Arms from the throat and swung his whip upwards, smacking Ectoplasm with so much force he careened through the air in somersaults - flipping four times before crashing down unceremoniously.

Garou then dropped the whip, grabbed Death Arms' skull and threw him at Gunhead faster than he could react. Then he leaped high overhead, in a sailing arc with the grace of a falling leaf, and landed behind Endeavour and Eraserhead.

"Are you all done with your presentation?" Garou asked as Best Jeanist struggled to stand on his feet recovered.

The rest of the remaining heroes joined Endeavour. All that remained was Best Jeanist, Endeavour, Eraserhead, Fourth Kind, and Gran Torino.

"I'll take that as a yes. But you failed to entertain like the rest."

* * *

"Entertain? You think we're nothing but toys for you to play?"

The one called Eraserhead rebuked his words, his brows provoked into a furrow.

"What else are you?" Garou laughed.

"We're heroes, you monster." A soft yet angered voice joined the conversation.

Walking beside them, Gunhead joined the heroes, his unique mask suffered cracks, a bruise marked his right shoulder, and his focus disoriented but his body still able.

"Oh, you live. How's your soul mate? He still kicking?" Garou taunted as he glanced Death Arm's direction. The hero was coughing, his breath deprived and his stamina was waning, but still capable of returning the fight.

"Huh. Should've broken a windpipe or two."

Garou pondered how he should break the survivors' spirits. He went this far with the horrendous appetizers, so he should entertain himself with the remainders despite already consuming the main course that was All Might.

"Where in the nine hells did you learn to fight like that?" The small old man in black and yellow asked, his lips curled to a stoic lour. Never in all his years did he encounter anyone like Garou, not even _that One_ could compare in terms of talent.

"Self-taught." They cannot meet the Old Fart or any of the heroes back home anyways — no need to burden them with the illogical. Besides, Garou did learn by himself after leaving the dojo.

"Are you serious?" Eraserhead could not believe it. A man 'his age' with so much talent and potential like him could exist? Preposterous. If not…

"You won't find anyone else like me out there." A half-truth since he was raising one from scratch.

"Why do you hunt heroes, Garou?" Endeavour was the next person to ask. The Hero Hunter demolished his preconceived beliefs. The man before them was not a villain, but something more. His actions in destroying all the heroes present without breaking a sweat justified it.

"Because you're all worthless." Garou bluntly replied, his smile glowering. "None of you are even close to being called heroes."

His condescending insult inevitably provoked scowls as the atmosphere weighed down the air with tension.

"Meaning?" Eraserhead asked, his eyes narrowing into menacing slits behind the visor.

"Is it not obvious?" Garou spread his arms, diverting their attention to their environment.

"Your colleagues' breathing corpses explains enough."

His refute provoked them into defending the honor of their comrades.

"The heroes are the defender of peace. Their might is secondary to their sense of justice and willingness to stand against evil, lest they become nothing but violent souls," Gran Torino argued, bringing the matter of the heroic heart.

"Then why is there no Quirkless heroes? Hm?"

His answer caught them off guard, blindsided their expectations.

"I do not follow." Endeavour did not expect this kind of response.

"Let me tell you something interesting." Garou's distasteful frown deepened before revealing the bitter truth.

"I. Have. No. Quirk."

* * *

 **Omake:**

Garou was… strange. He hates heroes, yet is more human than heroes. He started ranting to me how much he hated Quirks, mostly because all the heroes are weak. I thought he wanted to find someone strong to improve himself or sate his lust for battle.

I was wrong.

There was a realm outside of human reach. Garou did not elaborate, his exegesis vague, but I think I understand in a sense. There is a power that defied rational understanding, something that lies on the other side. I had no idea what he meant, but after training with him, gambling my entire life on his path, I now knew what he meant.

God has placed a limit on me, on all of us - biological, mentally, and spiritually. Garou… well, he is far on this road, despite his power already beyond that of the Number One Hero's. I now started to understand his goal after weeks of observation.

He wanted to become a Symbol like All Might, but not on All Might's level. He wants to become the sky, the infinite expanse untouched by any shackled to the Earth. Not the mountain, like All Might, but the endless horizons above us, watching us from the ethereal unknown.

I wanted to see that. I want to know what it means to reach the sky.

I've seen how Garou trains. Sometimes, he meditates under the waterfall. Other times, he enters into a trance when on the mountain where the terrain is flat enough to stand on.

Never have I seen such fluid purpose crafted in every move. His transitions and stances switch at a pace I cannot visually track, my focus shattered by the next otherworldly step. I cannot read him even though I'm confident in reading others. He moves like the shifting waves, the flowing air as if he became one with nature as a free spirit.

I want to reach him, to become someone as great as him. I don't want to be like the others anymore, someone I can call strong, my ideal.

Unlike Shikai, my classmate bully.

Shikai is not human. He is a monster. Anyone who laughs at my parents' death without care are monsters. The same goes for the rest of my class. They are not human, yet they are bound in human skin.

Just like the monsters in Garou's home. Just like the villains he hunts.

Envy afflicts Shikai. His grades were always mid-level, his stress high. He has charisma, yet unsatisfied with it. He did not know the value of his current traits and pick on others for having talents he does not have while abusing his with hypocrisy, swooning others under his honeyed tongue.

Reiko and Reika, twins, are infatuated with him. They drown out everything else just for him. They compete on getting his attention, be it in lunch on who gets to his seat first, or who gets to feed him. I grew sick of watching them- even more so when I noticed Shikai's growing arrogance, his starting to see them as objects. I despise them just as much as everyone else in the class.

Mrs. Mara… she is nice. But she is powerless. I do not hate her. I do not blame her anymore. I've already learned that even adults cannot change fate or destiny, but I respect their drive to try.

Just like my parents. Under the rubble of large skyscraper, when they took me to meet their friends. I can never forget their smiles even as they passed away, their hopes still shining even under the choking dust and darkness.

I will never forgive _him_ , for not being there in our time of need - for his carelessness and hesitation. I hope he remains haunted by my screams when I roared my hatred for him and his kind.

Walking on the bridge above the running river at the outskirts of Dagoba, I watched over the reflective streams, staring at my fitfully distorted image under the setting orange sun. My usual smile left me, my cheerful veneer straightened by stoicism.

I always liked this place, away from the noise of heroes and villains, peace in its purest, unadulterated. Breaking contact with my malformed reflection, I stared at the sky, taking in the beauty of sky blue and cumulus white.

I don't think like a normal child anymore. How could I? My thoughts rapidly matured in my search for answers, to find out why my parents died a needless death. Only to find out there are no answers to mitigate my seething rage.

However, I did find answers to fuel it.

My gaze shifted down from the skies to my right hand, looking at the limited edition All Might Figurine, mint condition and fresh out the box, as I pressed the button behind, activating the automatic catchphrase All Might was so famous for.

'I am Here!' it said. Where were you when you were needed?

The everpresent smile on the toy was once my Symbol of Hope, my iconic hero. Now, it represents my hatred for the current society. There is no value in power unearned. That is the lesson Garou taught me, intentionally or not, with I as the evidence alone.

I am grateful… Garou showed me a truth none of the heroes would show, none of this world would allow. Garou might be sadistic in nature and his methods, but he did care. He genuinely cared for me.

A small tear trickled down my eye before I knew it as my lips trembled into a buckling scowl, his very face now inspiring something I never showed to anyone, not even the Hero Hunter.

Fingers tightening around the throat, I turned my head at the expanding river flowing into the horizon and tensed my hand. The head of the figurine almost snapped, half broken from excess strength, the voice box now garbled in incomplete sentences like 'All here' or 'He-Might,' the one of All Might's uprooted blonde locks snapped onto the floor. I miscalculated my grip strength in my throw, no matter.

Channeling all my weight, I threw the blasted thing into the river as it splashed down the watery depths. I can no longer see it as the waters carried it away downstream.

Shame. My parents bought me that toy… a part of me still wants to keep it as a memento from mama and papa. I hope they'll forgive me as my watch the stream flow and bath in the soothing sound of running water.

"Watch over me."

I whispered my prayer to the skies as I turned away from the streams and left, carrying slight regret but not sans feeling lighter in return. With many calming breaths, I struggled to reclaim my 'normal' smile. I do not want to scare my family no matter what. My secret must never be revealed as long as I could.

* * *

 **Well, I tried something new. Writer's secret, coffee is the best fuel for a creative mind hahaha. Anyways, my production has doubled somewhat, so here you go. Let me know what you think. Might need that help with the BNHA series after all since it took me time to study and confirm which heroes I wanted to see hunted and such. Also another Beta Reader. Thank you B33RUS still. Part of me thinks the fight scenes could be better.**


	11. Chapter 11: Hope in Two Bags

The Police Force cordoning the battle zone watched in horror as their eyes glued to the nightmare called the Hunter Amongst Villains. When they volunteered to join the heroes' chase, they anticipated seeing Garou's defeat and his reign of terror meeting its end with great suspense boiling in their hearts.

Instead, they witnessed a nightmare in the form of Garou triumphing the heroes with overwhelming might.

With unmatched strength, speed without rival, and skills so alien it shattered mortal understanding, Garou single-handedly defeated their betters within five minutes, even though it felt like hours for all but Garou.

The Hero Hunter devoured their hope, consuming their confidence and morale as his food and drink and converting his meal into strength to use against them.

He ate their non-lethal rounds, tranquilizers filled with chemicals capable of downing even most vigorous or lively villains regardless of their size or might, and broke their weapons with them, two of which he reserved for Snipe, breaking his pistols and almost blasting his arms off.

Snipe now laid sprawled on the roof, knocked out of commission from the pain - arms still broken and dislocated. He can no longer lend his allies support from afar.

Then, in no time, Garou crushed almost all the heroes fell in piecemeal, regardless of their rank. Even if his foes were among the top fifty, top ten or even top five, he would still crush them indiscriminately with equal ease and ruthless oppression.

The unworthy and weak shall not stand in his crusade to purify the lands of 'justice,' the lie-riddled oppression in the guise of hope.

And to add into the horror, The Hero Hunter dropped an explosive revelation. It failed to sink through their common sense, their view of the world held back their understanding of Garou's words for a brief moment.

He was Quirkless. The man who preyed on heroes like sheep held no power from birth.

Hearing it come from the same man who could catch bullets with contemptuous ease would've sounded incredulous on all accounts like words from a hallucinating lunatic.

But not to Eraserhead. He knew since his Erasure failed to nullify his might expanded his mind to the possibility.

A man, born with no Quirk, who terrorized the hero world for months without challenge was their enemy. The heroes and Police Force didn't know whether to dismiss his words as ludicrous spiel or take it with a grain of salt.

Eraserhead took his words with more considerable attention than the others.

"...you're Quirkless?" The Anti-Quirk hero broke the confounded silence.

"Is it that shocking? No Quirks, no genetic nonsense, all pure technique," Garou grinned, relishing their reactions.

If a human could perform superhuman feats with no Quirk, another conclusion came to mind.

"What are you then? Don't tell me you're human?" Gran Torino queried. A Quirkless bearing this much power cannot be human.

"Really? You're asking me that?" His smile fell into a frown, scorn replacing mockery, "If you think Quirks determine our fate, then it only strengthens my point. You're nothing but losers and clowns playing hero in this useless world."

The first glimpse of the Hero Hunter's ideals opposes their initial expectations. He fought Heroes not out of violence, disguised madness, or pontificating fanaticism, but pure antagonism against modern society's collective view of heroes in general.

His true motivations overwhelmed them because he is the first Quirkless man that stepped into the fray between Heroes and Villains.

"You…" Garou stubbed Endeavour the most. The number two Hero has spent all his life trying to surpass All Might, resorting to using his own family as his pawns.

He wanted to surpass All Might all his life, while forced to suffer under his shadow without a shred of hope to surpass the light at the top.

His heart cannot accept Garou's truth despite his mind admitting it. He saw Eraserhead trying to render Garou helpless through the nightmare to no avail.

"You started this madness because… of Quirks?"

Endeavour did not want to acknowledge him. He refused to, for if Garou, a man with no Quirk, reached this level with his own power, then what was the point of his sacrifice? His efforts?

Then for what purpose did he, the hero who trained all his life to surpass All Might Quirk to no avail, forced upon Shouto?

"Those things you call 'superpowers' made you all weak and complacent. All this time, you lot thought me a fool drunk with power, but look at you all, who's the fool now? Tell me, how does it feel to have your confidence beaten into the dirt?" Garou shot back.

Such logic was profound, almost inconceivable. All villains to this day never truly followed their beliefs.

They claim the unfairness of Quirks and society despite relying on the same power that sourced their suffering.

Garou was different. He had no Quirk. He did not need it, and the truth was devastating.

They knew the feeling of which his previous victims shared was terrible, horrible for the heroes who came so far in the hero world like Edgeshot.

"I doubt there's a technique in the world that lets anyone catch flying bullets or cuts flesh with bare hands," Aizawa retorted.

If there were, Aizawa would have devoted all his time to master those techniques years ago in high school.

"Then 'erase' my 'Quirk' and take me in," Garou dared.

His sharp tongue made Eraserhead bite his lower lip bloody nearly. Garou slaughtered Aizawa's trust in his abilities with his mere standing here.

Endeavour refuses to listen to Garou much longer. He will not let a damn upstart tarnish his image with his arrogance.

"I don't care if you're Quirkless or a freak of nature. Surrender or we will be forced to use lethal force," Endeavor warned with hate leaking from his tone.

He narrowed his eyes in a searing glare, his gaze as scalding as his Quirk.

"Lethal force? Where?" Garou flashed the Flame Hero his middle finger. "I don't see anything lethal."

Grinding his teeth, his hate now exteriorizing, Endeavour seethed as he unconsciously superheated the air in his anger.

His tangibly burning rage touched even the heroes near him, unsettling them. Endeavour's composure melted like candle wax, the scalding fluid of viscous white landing on their morale - harming it.

Garou playfully followed, "What? Oh, wait, you mean yourself? Please, don't joke with me. As if the second best can do anything."

Garou's harsh words stoked Endeavour's dark flame into a frenzied inferno.

Endeavour can no longer silence his heart with temperance or will. He can only combust.

"One more word from your insolent tongue and I will-!" before Endeavour could finish, Garou punched the air.

BOOM!

A shockwave of air zipped to Best Jeanist and blasted him high in an arc over Endeavour at his boiling point. Best Jeanist landed unceremoniously, his face on the rough concrete with his lower body recurving like a bow.

The standing heroes stole a glance behind them. What did Garou do?

They looked back at Garou. His fist stretched straight forward, the knuckles facing the fallen Best Jeanist.

That stance reminded Gran Torino of…

"Like this one? Guess who I got this from." Garou laughed as he flexed his fingers mockingly.

The feel, the application, the impact, everything was all too familiar to Gran Torino but the uncanny precision. He felt the rushing air, but it was far too condensed, focused with an intensity never before seen.

"No…" Was it from him? From the same one who can split the clouds and sunder all evil in his prime?

"Yes, that's right. Consider it my version, superior to the crude original." Thrusting his hand at his right with a twisting wrist, Garou fired a blast of high air pressure at the concrete wall past the lamp post.

If All Might was a grand tsunami, Garou was the world's deadliest waterjet in human form. The streetlight post fell obliquely, the severed top sliding from the diagonal surface of its bottom as it clattered into the sidewalk. Subsequently, the building behind it suffered the same fate, the loud groan of stone grinding with ear-flinching friction. It slid down left until it met its neighboring twin across the adjacent alleyway, crashing with a heavy rumble as if a titan walked the earth.

The consecutive cuts were clean and free of cracks, all of which the heroes and Police gawped without exception.

"Isn't that…" Stunned to silence, Endeavour noticed the similarities of the technique, but not the application.

"Like the upgrades? I couldn't stand All Might's simplicity, so I modified it to my style. Be glad I didn't dice you all like confetti at first sight."

The heroes realized a horrible truth - that the monster hunted them without his fangs all this time. The glimpse of the true terror hidden under the sheep's clothing exceeded their realm of common sense.

"Monster…" Gran Torino uttered the only word that can describe Garou - a genuine, human monster.

"From what pit of the nine hells did you crawl out of?" Eraserhead asked while staring at the diagonally bisected building.

How on Earth did the world overlook someone of his caliber for so long? Sir Nighteye did state in their briefing that Garou did not exist in any records in Japan, or in general. It was like he popped out of thin air.

The question Eraserhead wanted to be answered was how.

"Oh, no, no. Not hell. Heaven. A bird dropped me here," Garou smiled.

However, his answer subverted their expectations like a kid smashing a glass house with a hammer.

'What?'

"You mock us even now?" Endeavour growled.

"But I'm quite serious. It was big, yellow, and spoke in an annoying voice."

'Are you messing with us?' was their silent consensus.

They were not sure if Garou was referring bird-type mutant Quirk user or some mutant bird in general, but his tone was too thick with absurdity to take into pensive account.

"Enough of this." Endeavour stepped forward, refusing to hear further 'nonsense.'

"I, Endeavour, Japan's Number Two Hero will personally bring you to justice." He declared with resolution.

Garou's response sounded cynical. "Someone's in love with his voice."

Endeavour ignored that, his stoicism unfazed.

"If that's your final response, then prepare to fall by my hand!" He aimed his finger at Garou, his body blazing an orange flare lighting the twilight dusk.

"Hoh?" Amused, Garou visually scanned Endeavour, sizing him up from head to toe.

He was not impressed, be it radiant effects or aggressive drama, "You look like All Might's cheap knockoff."

The heroes around Endeavour flinched upon feeling the air temperature spiking in response to Garou's taboo. Some stepped back two paces from caution.

The heroes present were aware of Endeavour's character, his weakness regarding All Might.

Endeavour, inflamed by Garou's direct comparison, warned, "Do not compare me to him."

"Oh?" Garou's eyes zoned into Endeavour as the corner of his lips curled upwards.

"So second-best has a jealous streak. Juicy~" Garou sang upon finding a morsel worth sampling.

Endeavour's features warped further from Garou's verbal oil, "Your throat will burn first."

Garou laughed, undeterred by Endeavour's threat. "Come at me, then, matchstick."

"Youuuuuuuuuuuuuu!" Endeavour finally set off, his rage-induced Quirk exploding a heatwave which buffeted the heroes as years of frustration escaped his throat as inflamed screams.

"Endeavour! Don't-" Eraserhead shouted, attempting to warn Endeavour not to take Garou's bait. But it was too late.

Endeavour took launched forth with an explosive step.

However, in their clash, Garou rammed his palm into Endeavour's chest, the impact bending Endeavour forward and expunging spit-mixed blood from his mouth. Like blowing out a candle with a huff, the resulting shockwave killed all of Endeavor's flame covering his body before Endeavour caromed tumbling over the floor.

"Buah?!"

Garou watched Endeavour rolling the floor in pain as he defeated a scream while clutching his chest. And like the snuffed candle, Garou's amusement died along with it, leaving only ashes of boredom and disappointment.

"Like I said, a cheap knockoff."

With scorn, Garou leaped in the air and crashed his fist into Endeavour's ribs, fracturing the cage of bones protecting Endeavour's lungs as the flat terrain behind collapsed under the force.

Garou grinned at the sight of spurting blood and white eyes.

"And you're out!" Garou laughed as if to amuse himself with Endeavour's fallen image.

The Number Two Hero's defeat snuffed the vestiges of kindled hopes. The heroes remaining or recovered from Garou's brutalizing could scarcely find the courage to fight - namely, the will to fight on.

Midnight, recovered, could barely stand, trembling with exertion and fear.

Edgeshot could not tear his sight away from Endeavour's defeated form as his body shook.

Most of the other heroes shared similar symptoms of despair, which worsened when Garou turned their focus to them.

"And as for the peanut gallery…"

Now confident in his victory, Garou walked forward with lax temperance as he walked over Endeavour - one step pressed on his face.

However, Gran Torino stepped in, blocking him from the rest of the heroes.

"Run, you brats!"

Gran Torino snapped them from their distressed stupor. In his desperate attempt to stall, he alone knew - he understood the threat Garou posed to Hero Society and the dangers he held, for Gran Torino armed himself with the knowledge of his pupil's downfall.

He savvied the situation better than most. Garou's hand now touched the delicate scale balancing the order of this world. They cannot allow him to tip it in favor of chaos.

"You're brave for a fossil. You that short on lifespan?" Garou stopped and whistled impress.

They did not know the old hero when Sir Nighteye added him to their team. Clouding mystery enveloped his background like a shadow, but his heroic spirit and nobility shone brightly enough in the dark for all to see.

"Oi, old man. What are you doing?" Eraserhead asked, his voice almost built into a shout.

He knew the reason behind the older man's intentions. The older man was about to martyr for them.

"Unlike those whippersnappers, I can't let you follow through with your intents." Ignoring Eraserhead, Gran Torino glared at Garou, ready to put his life at Death's door to protect the soul of hero-kind.

"You think your martyrdom can stop me from killing you all?"

"Heh, and doing nothing is better?" Gran Torino returned.

Garou's smirk rent into a straight line.

Gran Torino was milking Garou's patience to near empty. He quickly glanced behind him to see if they ran, but they remained stuck in a stupor. Why won't they run?

"Is this how you want to go out? Die as a useless fool?" Garou asked.

"We're all gonna die anyway! I like to meet my end as an inferno rather than a fading spark."

Garou's straight line bent into a frown.

"You serious?"

Gran Torino's time now ran short. Garou's mood for chatter was nearing its end, replaced with irritation.

"Got a problem with that, sonny?" He laughed.

Gran Torino could no longer extort Garou's hidden honor. He was glad All Might shared his tale of his encounter.

The old hero wondered if he could manage to escape with his health intact. He could imagine himself actually dying under one of Garou's infamous body mounds should he decide to end him. He really did not want to throw himself into the mouth of the meat grinder.

"As if I would waste time with a decrepit old fart."

Torino found Garou's insult provocative, and that Garou's tongue was as sharp as his might.

"Out of my way, shorty."

"Don't make this 'shorty' teach you a lesson." Inflamed, Gran Torino threatened with equal irritation.

"A lesson in what? Humiliation? Disgrace? Do you offer yourself as a sacrifice to demonstrate?"

'I'm doing it already.'

Gran Torino was surprised he managed to extend his time to this extent. Garou must immensely dislike fighting someone of his age.

However, in his mulling, the heroes he endangered himself for walked up beside him. Why did they not run?

"Oi…" Gran Torino veered his eyes sideways at the foolish youths. "I told you, youngsters, to run."

"Don't talk as if we can outrun a guy like him," Eraserhead dryly with a half-joking tone.

Gran Torino detected Eraserhead's attempt to quell his unease with humor.

"Do you even know what I'm doing?"

"Yes, and we appreciate the effort. But, unfortunately, our reckless youth won't let us run," Midnight answered with her own humorous choice of words.

On their shaking feet beside Gran Torino, five heroes stood while some stirred from their imposed slumber.

Gran Torino clicked his tongue, "You dumb fools will only feed yourselves to the meat grinder."

Eraserhead gave a weak laugh, "Well, I like this better than the 'other' meat grinder. A villain chewing me out is better than the press."

Gran Torino had no words to respond to that.

"Huh… good point."

It was either the frying pan or the fire underneath at this point, regardless. In actuality, this situation was unsalvageable the moment Eraserhead's Erasure failed.

"Then, young'uns, are you all ready to learn what it means to face an overwhelming foe?" Gran Torino already learned his lesson with All For One. This man was just as terrible as the Ageless Monster.

"Maybe," Midnight joined.

"I still owe him for the sneak attack," Edgeshot added.

Gran Torino misjudged them. They now look like proper heroes in their purest, their courage shining in the darkest night.

"You all should've stayed down like a good dog."

His piercing chides sparked only anger within the heroes from the verbal friction.

"We would rather bite back than to listen to you," Midnight shot back, pulling her whip tight.

"Ohhh, nice comeback. But that won't save you from the beatings I have in store."

With victory at his doorstep, Garou strode forth, ready to end this farce. Their displaying courage irritated Garou. He found their drive naive and weak.

Looking at them rising to their feet, deluding themselves of the reality before them, only further fueled his desire to break them piece by piece as he imagined how he would defile the street with their bodies.

Throwing their bodies in a growing heap had lost its appeal and throwing them into trash cans bored Garou. Maybe he should gather them and tie them up in one big ball using Edgeshot as the cloth and throw them into the ocean to fish for sharks.

If they can't get out of that amusing situation and die, then it only showed how pointless this world's heroes are.

As Garou pondered, he noticed the guy in full armor shambling towards him behind the line of rejects. His foot was about to step on his grocery bag far in the back. Garou's eyes widened as shock replaced his anger.

"Whoa!"

His groceries! He didn't come here to mess up his dinner! He swiftly fired a stream of air at the guy whose hero name he had already forgotten.

It struck him clean in the chest, knocking him down into somersaults while knocking out all the air from his lungs.

"..." The heroes stared at Garou for a moment. Garou did not think at that moment.

The safety of his groceries overrode his caution out of priority.

"Ah."

Which meant he had goofed.

* * *

The heroes stared at Garou for a moment. They turned their heads from him to Ingenium, then back to Garou once more.

They did not miss Garou's slip. Despite him holding all the cards, Garou actually showed fear. But what was its source?

Eraserhead looked back at Ingenium, wondering what he did spook the unstoppable force. He only saw rubble, the standing SWAT members shuttling the unconscious heroes, Endeavour included, away to the medics that tagged along with them, and… two bags of groceries both which remained surprisingly untouched throughout the chaos.

'Wait…' Eraserhead remembered that Garou bought them from a supermarket. He looked back at Garou with curiosity, but the Hero Hunter returned his stare with glaring murder.

He could feel Garou's bloodshot ire visually burning a hole in his head.

He took one step back. Garou did not react. However, when he took another step, Garou's murderous rage flared into a scalding supernova.

When Eraserhead turned around to head towards the groceries blatantly, Garou, with one spanning step, crushed the ground beneath his foot with excessive force.

The explosive sound stopped Eraserhead's steps. Turning to Garou, they resumed exchanging stares in this awkward silence.

"…"

The surviving heroes looked at Garou as if witnessing a new animal. They tracked his line of sight and caught sight of the bags like Eraserhead did.

From the opening, they could see previews of celery, scallions, and the leaves of carrots spilling out.

"Got something precious in there?" Eraserhead asked as he briefly glanced at the bags behind him.

"No."

His tone was as convincing as a third-grade child trying to deny hiding their stolen cookies. They confirmed that he valued something there much.

"Mind if we take a look?" Eraserhead queried.

"One more step and I will pluck out your eyes."

Garou's threat only piqued their curiosity. As if by the drop of a hat, all the other heroes took a step back towards his groceries, hoping for the same reaction.

Garou, with another mighty step, cracked a broader crater with eyes gleaming murder at them.

The awkward silence returned, Garou and the heroes exchanging the same awkward stares.

If any bystanders watched, the scene would look no different than that of a stalemate. Only this time, one man severely outmatching the heroes was waiting for the others to draw their luck.

Within the still, tense battlefield, Gunhead asked, "So you don't have something very secret in there?" The hero asked.

"Just groceries."

Garou's answer made it sound as if he hid treasure in those bags.

"Then can we take a look?" Gunhead repeated Eraserhead's question.

"Why are you asking? No one touches my things without losing everything."

If they were honest, none of the heroes expected Garou to be this defensive over his possessions. His threat no longer held the same weight as before, only bolstering their curiosity to see the contents instead.

The heroes exchanged their glances, eyes visually consenting to their new change of plans. Their most significant chance of victory now lies in the grocery bags Garou held so vitally, as ridiculous as it seemed.

Why Garou valued them or what secrets lied inside, they did not know, but they knew the bags were crucial enough to rattle his composure. That alone was already a viable enough reason to use it against the unstoppable monster.

But it was a minacious line. One misstep and the monster will devour the heroes whole, bones and all.

"We don't have much choice, do we though?" Eraserhead snarked at Garou.

Out of their options of the frying pan or the fire, the heroes chose the latter.

"Then your lives are forfeit. Prepare to die."

They cast their die. They can no longer go back through the line of no return.

"Go! I'll hold him off!" Eraserhead stepped forth as the volunteering vanguard.

No tactic in the book could lead anyone to victory over any foe too overwhelmingly superior.

They acted on instinct now, drawing all of their combat experience they accumulated ever since they first enrolled as students in their respective Hero Schools.

One could say this was their most significant test so far.

"Go! I'll cover you!" Gunhead shouted, stepping behind him as the support.

* * *

Those bastards were wising up.

Garou growled as he sprinted with intent to maim, to compensate for his great blunder.

His groceries were now under risk of being potential leverage. He would crush the heroes in ways that would make his previous hunts look tame in comparison.

If he falls, he will do so in a fight to the death, pouring out everything he got or die trying against a powerful foe - not by goddamn fate holding his secrets against him in its hands.

The first to block him was that mummy — the first in line as an example of what was to come.

"Do your worst, monster!"

His eyes gleamed with palpable rage, rattling all the heroes looking his way into the blazing fire.

"You first." The world Garou slowed as he accelerated, now everything was but a crawl to him, turtles moving in slow motion.

Grabbing the scarf the moment he threw it, Garou pirouetted towards Eraserhead, closing the distance like a fast-forwarded whirlwind through Gunhead's barrage of keratin rounds.

In less than a second, Garou stared directly into Eraserhead's eyes centimeters from his face, dominating his panorama like an invading storm. Garou knew he couldn't react, relishing the fear the mummy's eyes displayed with trembling in that respite.

During that transition, Garou twirled the scarf, surrounding both him and his quarry. They stood in the center directly under the eye of a pellucid tornado of white cloth.

Garou decided to use Eraserhead as his example with his excuse of a weapon, desiring to crush his pride first by showing him a glimpse true weapon mastery.

Garou ran past the mummy and leaped, pulling the metaphorical pin of the grenade, as the whirling scarf converged onto the hero like a serpent enwrapping its prey in a white cocoon of cloth as the hunter leaped through the shrinking gap and bypassed the entrapments with impeccable timing.

Landing near his groceries, his irate consuming their courage eyes, Garou spread his lips in contrast to the searing rage permeating from his pores.

Anticipation flowed through Garou, fantasies of promised brutalities he will soon enact, even more so when he pulled the literal Mummy to him by the scarf as Garou flew above the elderly dwarf into his hand like he was holding a staff, a weapon to be used. Garou rested his newest 'hunting tool' on his neck, brandishing the wriggling chrysalis unfazed by the struggles of the caterpillar within.

The bizarre combination of Eraserhead and Garou stunned the heroes. They cannot process the sight of Eraserhead within Garou's fingers as his human weapon.

"I did warn you."

Those were his last words before he resumed their execution - of their health and dignity.

"Go, Mummy, I choose you!" Uttering a line from a popular game Ghin introduced before, Garou dropped the cocoon to his feet with a flashing grin and kicked the defenseless mummy at Gunhead.

"Mmmmm!" The 'caterpillar' screamed, but his treacherous scarf dulled his panicking screams muffled during his unwanted flight.

"Again?!" Gunhead prepared himself this time, not wanting another repeat of his previous trouncings, but the Eraserhead chrysalis pulled itself back in a sudden halt, and with a kick, Garou relaunched his human weapon into his torso.

For the third time, another hero crashed into Gunhead, this time skull to skull with bolstered momentum, knocking out the martial hero out of the picture once and for all.

Muffled, Eraserhead cried in pain as Garou yanked him back in his vile clutches, his fingers latched tightly on his poor skull.

Facing the heroes, he spun his entrapped prey around his wrist and held him as if he was a weapon.

Pivoting Eraserhead around via his center of gravity around his from left before twirling him by the foot like playing with nunchucks, swinging him in revolutions, transitioning from over shoulder to shoulder before spinning Eraserhead around his neck in two full cycles, Garou finished his dance with a squatting pose with his mummy resting on his nape horizontally.

Either Garou was showing off, or he was tormenting Eraserhead with his display of skill. Regardless, they gave Eraserhead their sympathies. They can imagine the amount of motion sickness he suffered through the bandages without need for sight.

Even Eraserhead's retching gags reached their ears through the sound-dampening combat-cloth.

"...huh." Staring blankly, Gran Torino expected something like to happen, but not at the scale of Garou using living heroes as human weapons.

In fact, in all his years, he had never seen any hero used to this extent. None of the hero schools had a solution to when the villain used the hostage as their mocking weapon.

"You ready to die?"

* * *

The SWAT, or the 'villain pickup' crew as most would dub them, watched as the Hero Hunter decimated the heroes one by one with his Eraserhead weapon.

They stood there helpless even when Garou bashed Edgeshot's jaw with a mighty swing of his Eraserhead weapon.

The more they watched Garou decimate the heroes, the more the carnage wrung their hearts of hope.

They wish to join the battle and save the heroes. But what could small ants do to a giant?

Reality was a cruel mistress, crushing ideals under its heel without remorse - leaving only plausible option was to stand far away in the sidelines spectate the carnage as part of the lifeless environment.

As unnoticeable and insignificant like the pebbles at their feet.

Plausible option.

As if pulled by desperation and instinct, one SWAT member lifted his foot - and took his first step.

"H-hey."

Another noticed his stepping forth, next to the police's LAV.

"What are you doing? Are you trying to kill yourself?! Woof!"

Kenji Tsuragamae whispered in a quiet shout, demanding the man to step back.

They were to help the heroes capture Garou, not endanger themselves to the growing pile of victims. If heroes cannot defeat the man, then the Police Force would fare no better.

However, in response, the man looked back without a word.

"..."

He looked at the others behind him. His gaze was silent behind the visor, but they could feel his wordless message - why he was rushing into the vortex.

"I'm sorry."

The man spoke as if he was delivering a farewell before marching towards death's door.

The man returned his focus to Garou, who was holding Death Arms by the throat and rushed towards the objective.

The grocery bags.

It would've been comical should it be another circumstance, but they are the key to resolving this disaster. The man did not know how he can resolve their dilemma should they manage to succeed somehow, but at least he would secure a checkpoint for the heroes' second wind.

The man rushing towards the items has this thought. What happened afterward, he would leave it to God to decide.

"You…!" Kenjiro stopped himself upon noticing another officer joining the first.

"I'm sorry! Dock my pay when I get back!" The other apologized in return before another followed.

Before Kenjiro could follow with a threat, more of the men rushed past him, joining that man into the fray.

Kenjiro's men started following them one by one.

No sane mind would rush into a tornado that promised absolute death, but no follower of justice would allow evil to triumph so openly, especially like this, and stand without action.

The brave souls charged forth without a word, containing their steps the best they could. They were afraid that they would catch the monster's attention if they made too much noise.

The brave souls look like lumbering trees trying to be as silent as mice. They were lucky enough that Garou was too angry to notice them, for all of his attention was poured into venting all of his frustrations into their suffering.

Their hearts pounded like war drums in their chests with volumes high enough to drown the heroes' cries of pain from their ears.

They ignored everything but the item of importance, and only the crucial miscellanea Garou tried desperately to protect, all in a sliver of hope that they, the common masses, can make a difference.

That was all they wanted - to make a difference where even their champions cannot. They must.

For if no one comes to save the day, who will?

* * *

 **Blah. Here you go. The series finally got the attention in my lagging despair. Still, know that I am a writer. I write to improve as well, not only deliver good content. But in any case, I am even walking on my road towards enlightenment. Who knows? Maybe I'll somehow post another chapter in a week or two. I am just trying to reclaim my momentum in this story while juggling between another story. It is a tricky practice I am desperately trying to perfect. But anyways, review my failings. This series will take a comical turn, my attempt to add that One Punch Man spice into a Boku No Academia universe. Enjoy XD**

 **Also, sorry for posting more than once. Just want to make sure that the series is updated in the search category. Chapter 12 is just a repost of the same chapter. Ignore it, and I am sorry if you think it is me trolling you. I apologize.**


	12. Chapter 12: The Wolf and Shepherd's Dog

With one swing of his cocoon bat, Garou whacked Death Arm's head. With another swing, he smacked Midnight flying towards the adjacent wall. In her flight, her body busted through the stone wall, disappearing inside as she groaned within the shadows.

Unsatisfied, Garou rasped with burning fury as he shot his sight at the other heroes. His debt to the Heroes barely dwindled. He still had much to repay - with violence and blood.

He had no more mercy to spare for them. All of it died the moment they blatantly dared to hold his things hostage.

Those groceries wouldn't matter if it were any other day when he usually returned after preying on his daily Hero or villain to sate his boredom. However, the landlord returned home at a surprise visit.

Regrettably, she stood at the zenith of Ghin's patented 'hierarchy,' the alpha and the omega of the household. He will not let an inconvenience screw him over of a chance at a good life. He had yet even to see the line that leads to the other side.

Thus, playtime was over. It was time to finish the meal.

He stepped on the one called Kesagiriman, pressing his head deeper into the hard, abrasive stone. Garou poured more strength into his sole, wanting Kesagiriman to suffer from palpable regret as he dined on his groans of pain.

Amidst the chaos, the sun bade itself farewell in the darkness. It was as if it refused to witness the horror any further; thus, it allowed the night to dominate the heavens with its darkness as the street lights danced to life and the stars to dot the veil.

After exterminating the pests, Garou glared at the only Hero standing - the old dwarf. The mere sight of him darting his eyes in search for ways to dance around to his most valuables infuriates Garou.

"…you wouldn't hurt an old man, would you?"

No mercy.

Closing the distance faster than a blink, Garou kicked the old man in the chin as if kicking a soccer ball. With a loud crash filled with fractured glass, the yellow shorty disappeared through a broken window of which he shattered with his skull.

All the heroes are defeated. Garou stood amidst his work, taking in his overwhelming victory. He felt a tinge of pride of satisfaction that he crushed their hopes with unrelenting cruelty, but it died as fast as it arrived.

There was no point in their defeat in the end. None of the heroes were strong, even this country's Second-best Hero - pests that could only waste his time at best.

He slammed his cocooned weapon headfirst into the stone until almost half of the mummy's upper half rested under the earth while his lower half jutted heavenward.

After waiting two seconds, Garou pulled him out, glaring at his 'tool' as the bandages around the head started to bleed crimson.

"Do you regret everything now?" Garou asked.

The Mummy muffled something similar to a 'Uh-huh' in response.

"Good."

Twirling Mummy until grasping his ankle, Garou slammed the packaged meat sack on the ground left and right, making sure he slapped Eraserhead's face in each swing.

The sound of tenderizing meat soothed his ears, drowning the furtive approach of the newcomers entering the fray.

After he finished bashing the fruit roll-up, Garou hoisted Mummy up with a light toss until he held his midsection with a crushing vice grip, his fingers pulverizing the ribs and organs almost into a juicy pulp.

Eraserhead hissed from the palpable pain, trying to quell the scream from tearing itself out his throat. He almost failed as he grunted in audible pain as his scarf drowned his voice from the outside world.

"Time for a second dip. Hope you like the taste of rock candy."

Before Garou can pile drive him into the earth again, a shouting voice called out for his attention.

"F-Freeze!"

An unfamiliar voice graced the demon's ears.

'More heroes?' Garou did not sense any notable presences other than-

"Oh, they didn't." Snarling with flashing teeth, Garou whipped his focus back to his things.

"You bastards actually had the balls."

The police army actually moved in while He indulged himself in the violence - when he ran away from his things to kick the last hero into the window.

The fodder surrounded his things, guns aimed at the bags behind a line of glass pavises - all trembling with shaking knees.

"You do know you have crossed the line?" Garou pointed out.

He did not relish tormenting the police. In fact, he never considered them worthy enough to him. Now they were irritating like pebbles in his shoes.

None of the quivering men could respond. They crossed the forbidden line without any shred of a plan.

Now that they have Garou's attention, they can only imagine Garou chewing them to pieces like his previous victims, only this time, his mood fell to its absolute nadir.

"Not gonna comment on your entering the monster's den now?" With a flick of his arm, Garou dropped his Mummy until he caught its ankles as its head bonked the concrete.

"Ow." The mummy groaned, receiving too much head trauma even to process the current dilemma.

"Time to see if a hero skull is harder than a riot helmet."

Speaking his peace, Garou sauntered to the brave maggots, dragging his Mummy along the concrete. His moans of pain droned with each step as the pavement abraded his face and blood smearing a straight line in his wake.

"Stop right there, Garou!"

A dog standing on two feet emerged from the trembling sheep, stepping forth between him and them as their shepherd.

Garou stopped as ordered, not out of intimidation but curiosity as he sized the man from head to toe. No matter how he looked at the dog man, he was nothing special, Quirk or not.

"Aren't you too frail to be brave?" Garou mocked.

He was even weaker than most of the scum he hunted since his beginnings in this world.

The dog man grimaced. Garou caught his hands clenching as if trying to quell his fear. No matter how brave a front he displayed, Garou wasn't sold by his attempt at valiance.

"...I am Kenji Tsuragamaea. I stand as the Chief of the Police Force assigned with the Heroes currently present."

Garou blinked once, tilting his head in confusion.

"So? Don't tell me you're begging for the lives of the sheep behind you?" Garou asked, his gaze drifting to the line of men behind him.

"...No."

His answer caught Garou's attention.

"Oh? Then for what?"

"I am here to negotiate on their behalf."

The dog man's response failed to sink in. Garou stared at him for a few seconds, trying to process his words. The same went for the other members behind the dog man, as they looked at him with equal confusion.

Silence dawned in the post-twilight, the streetlights shining onto their forms like spotlights in a stage as the darkness finally took hold of Japan's sky as nights slowly dotted the nightly veil.

"Eh?"

"Kenji-san?"

"Neg-Negotiate?"

The men muttered amongst themselves, breaking the brief, awkward silence with questions and doubt.

"Excuse me?"

What the man before him said defied his expectations as well as escaped the borders of common sense.

* * *

Kenji closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath to calm his nerves and steel his focus. He opened not a second after, gazing into the eyes of the demon holding Eraserhead as if he was a toy to break at his leisure.

"The hell are you saying? Negotiate? With what? I could obliterate you all in a matter of seconds - hell, slaughter you into pork cutlets if I wanted."

Kenji did not deny his words. He can imagine the Hero Hunter doing that with a flick of his arm, slicing him and his men behind him and parting their upper halves from the lower others as their blood and organs painted the street with crimson failure.

"Indeed. But if you do, the government of Japan will never leave you alone, Garou. To this day, you have never harmed a civilian or officer of the law. Because of this, we could spare time to clean up the mess you left since your beginnings."

Kenji must play this right. He could feel his sweat wetting the hairs of his fur. If he slipped, Japan would lose everything.

"Are you threatening me?"

Garou responded with a show of might. He did not spare Kenjiro and his men as he crashed his overwhelming presence upon them all.

It was standing at the bottom of the sea. Kenjiro can feel the weight of an entire ocean trying to crush his soul.

He nearly fell to his knees as fear broke through the dam and drowned his courage in a bottomless sea of infectious black. But he held his breath under pressure, wringing out every fiber of his being to stand firm - even as his men fell one by one behind him, their strength washed away by his standing power.

Once pausing enough to catch his breath, Kenji answered, "No. I am warning you. If you harm us, you will never walk the streets untroubled ever again. Depending on what you do at this moment, the Prime Minister will authorize the movement of even the military, and All Might against you."

"Hah! Yeah, right. As if Muscles can't help you."

 _Click!_

As if to intimidate Garou, some of his men, powering through the subjugating air, in the back primed their firearms, ready to fire at the slightest sign of hostility.

"Oh, you little shits." Garou did not take the threat lightly.

Kenji furiously attempted to rethink his strategy. Not only did the mere mention of All Might failed to faze this monster, but his men's attempt to threaten him also damaged his temperance.

He decided to target something else, to see how he'll react.

"Even if you don't fear All Might, you still won't walk the streets a free man ever again. You'll be hunted by armed forces day by day. You will never have peace again."

Kenji decided to follow this route. He nearly bit his tongue when Garou's frown fell into a scowl as his oppressive aura doubled in intensity in response to his rage. He did not know how long his spirit can hold out at this point. His legs were already starting to give in to the spiritual weight.

"So you want to join the pile?" Garou threatened as his rage spiked threefold the intensity, to the point where they could almost feel his aura scalding their skin.

"I understand you don't like others bothering you, and you already defeated our heroes without breaking a sweat, which is why I am proposing… a ceasefire." Kenji hoped Garou would take it. He really hoped he wouldn't reject it.

Kenji did not want to become one of the first officers of the Police Force to join the growing mountain of victims piled, his men even more so.

"Hah?" Garou's face scrunched with confusion, a jaw hung and his left eye narrowing.

Garou released them from his aura's hold, finally allowing them the freedom to breathe as many Officers collapsed to their knees and gasped for air like a fish on dry land. Kenji half-stumbled, almost dropping down and gasping with his men.

He quickly picked himself up before he dropped down a certain height. As Kenjiro stood up, his breathing now heavy but relaxed, he met Garou's condescending gaze as he slowly regained his strength.

"...are you screwing with me?" Garou asked, his eyes now narrowing in a dangerous glare.

Kenji shook his head, not wanting to tell him that he scrounged this idea on the spot when his men joined the fray. Whatever happens, he'll let God decide his fate.

"No."

"You do know you have no leverage against me, right?" Garou reminded.

Kenji thought threatening his freedom was leverage enough.

"You're correct, but at this point, everyone will come after you. You will not only attract Japan's military, but also other nations into hunting you down. Are you sure you want to tread this path?"

Garou opened his mouth for a moment before he closed his jaw as his anger colored his mien once more.

"You have one chance to speak your mind." Garou threatened as his rage boiled the air around him.

Kenji could feel the familiar phantom heat again, albeit it wasn't as scalding as before. At least Garou spared Kenji the patience to listen and not explode in a violent rampage.

"If you spare us all and cease your 'hunts' for a mutually agreed period, we will abandon all efforts to take you in and remove all of our influence in Hosu. As long as you're in Hosu, the heroes and the Police Force will never take action against as long as you abide by our laws to a reasonable extent."

Garou's responded by parting his lips, displaying his gnashing teeth. Eraserhead groaned as Garou hoisted him over his nape.

"You think I'll let any of my prey go?"

"No. But unless you're ready to embrace the wrath of the entire world, I suggest you make your first exception."

The ambiance sparked with growing hostility.

Kenji stared at Garou, who stared back with hundreds of times the intensity.

"Are you making fun of me?" Garou threatened, his hand trembling with rage as veins started to pop under his skin, traveling from his arms to his temples as if struggling to contain his eternal wrath.

Kenji shuddered. He can almost see Garou's eyes glowing sulfur-gold, but even in the face of Fear itself, Kenji must see this through.

If not for him, then for those around him.

"No. I am not. I doubt you'll get another opportunity like this again. So… what do you choose?"

The Chief of Police wondered if his superiors will even follow through. He didn't prepare his phone to record his situation, and he doubted he could sneak his plan past Garou's perception.

So he waited for the Hero Hunter's response, to choose between peace for all or all-out war.

The man turned his head, switching his focus from his men to the fallen heroes around them. Garou slowly spun his neck back to him, and then his gaze drifted to the men behind him.

His face was like an iron mask.

Kenji could barely read him. He cannot tell what thoughts swam behind his head as Garou stood before him face to-

'Wait, when did he-'

Kenji could not finish asking himself when Garou closed in so fast as the monster grabbed his throat. He choked, but not a single word escaped past Garou's grip.

"""Chief!"""

He heard his men shouting his name, the sound of firearms clicking and them shuffling into firing positions.

Staring in his eyes, Garou lifted Kenjiro from the earth, holding him up in a chokehold as Kenji grabbed Garou's wrist. He tried to free himself, be it hitting his arm or wrenching himself free, and none had worked.

"Of all the things I've encountered, this is the first time I've seen anyone this dumb to threaten me with promises you can't keep. Do you think I didn't notice? You have no power even to keep your promise, do you? Do your so-called bosses up there even know what you're doing, or did you just came up with this shit on the spot?"

Kenji gagged as he kicked Garou's chest to no avail. He could feel his strength slipping as Garou's grip tightened its hold on his windpipe.

"Give me one reason why I should accept the promise of a retarded dog that can't even keep his word?"

Kenji struggled to force a response, but Garou's fingers continue to dig into his throat, pushing back all response to stay back with no exceptions.

"Because…"

Another voice joined the conversation.

Kenji gasped as he struggled to steal a glance at the newcomer. His vision was starting to blur, but he could make out the figure.

Gran Torino crawled out of the door of the building Garou kicked him in. Glass shards protruded from his costume, spilling trickling blood down his arms.

Gran Torino was clutching his left arm, as if it was broken, and limping on one leg with great effort to step into his aid.

"…if you do, there will be a hero that can stand against you one day." Gran Torino offered, coughing blood after ending his sentence.

"Hoh?" Garou finally released Kenji from his grasp.

Falling to his knees, Kenji clasped his throat and coughed in his much-needed oxygen.

"You said there's a guy out there that can face me? Name him."

Standing up with difficulty, Kenji saw Garou walk towards Gran Torino, towering over the old hero and looking down at him - no pun intended.

Kenji wondered what it was like, to look at fear straight in the eyes as it overshadowed him with a gaze that promised him a beating of a lifetime should he slip.

Gran Torino paused. A silent stillness permeated the air, minus Garou's eyes were grazing the small hero's spirit to answer.

"...he is not yet ready. But in time, he will defeat you." Gran Torino stated.

"..."

Garou continued resting his eyes on the hero. He was now appraising him, scrutinizing him for signs of deceit.

"Oh, really?" Garou spoke with a vestige of interest, albeit not without disbelief thrown in the mix.

Kenji didn't sound convinced as well. Was there a hero out there that can defeat this monster? There were no notable heroes as far as he was concerned, none that showed promise of overcoming the Hero Hunter.

"Alright, I'll play your game."

"Even if I fall, he will… wait, repeat that." Gran Torino asked.

His eyes flinched into blinking several times as confusion decorated his face.

"Heh, you deaf. I said I'd take it." Garou repeated his answer, but it still failed to sink in.

Kenji shared that same expression as he finally processed Garou's answer.

"...hah?"

Raising his foot, faster than neither Gran Torino nor Kenjiro can react, Garou slammed the heel of his sole into the concrete. For Kenji, his ax kick didn't exist until the world at his left crumbled into ruin and dust.

Kenji looked back at Garou. The ruined buildings, the fractured landscape of what once was an urban metropolis, all of it was but a demonstration of his power.

"Truthfully, I am quite bored these days. But since you're so nice to talk, let me set a few ground rules. Or else this will happen to your precious Japan." Garou threatened back a thousandfold.

"...name them."

Kenji leaked a sweat into his fur.

'...at least I have a valid excuse to justify my actions with the higher-ups.'

Unfortunately, that was his only consolation. He waited for Garou's demands.

* * *

Garou looked at his work, marveling at the destruction. His months of diligent training paid off in full in the form of a decimated block holding crumbling buildings and cracking stone.

If his estimate was accurate, it should crush all the buildings in that block and that block alone. As far as he knew, all the presence there were nonexistent at this point. There were way too many empty buildings in Hosu, according to Ghin.

He didn't sense any presence inside the structures around him, more than enough reason to use them as a demonstration. The city needs no wasted land as far as he knew.

"Don't bother me as long as I'm in Hosu. Heroes and government lackeys included. You know what I'm talking about." Garou narrowed his eyes and flicked his free arm, firing another blast of air as he punched a clean hole inside another apartment building.

He watched as the dog man glanced at the pristine hole, not a single crack spreading from the circle's perimeter. He caught him gulping in his throat as if trying to quell the unease.

"Also, never jump the gun when I'm outside Hosu. I still haven't had my fill of victims."

The dog man flinched at his demand.

"We will not let you add more heroes to your blasted pile!"

At the end of his declaration, his men primed their respective guns and aimed them towards the Hero Hunter, ready to fire when ordered.

"Calm down. Who said I'm hunting heroes?"

The dog man slowly calmed upon hearing that as the guns lowered.

"...you want to continue hunting villains?"

"Bingo."

The dog man had a look of confusion.

"...may I ask the reason?"

"I need something to keep me entertained until the big bad hero shows up. Besides, not like you lot even care about them anyway."

The dog man looked offended by Garou's remark. Garou could see his teeth gnashing through the gaps of his lips.

Garou was well-aware that he was twisting his ethics with warped accusations. He relished his reaction to his delight.

"You cannot complain if anyone of you dares come to me. If I find a hero that openly challenges me, don't expect any mercy. Do nothing as I make an example of them."

"...grrrr…" The dog man growled, his hymn more dog than man.

"Ahahaha! Nice response! Lastly, don't piss me off." Garou's smile fell to a glowering frown, murderous intent replacing his mood as it killed the tension saturating the air.

The dog man stopped growling as his face stiffed into a rictus.

"...elaborate." He reluctantly asked.

"If one of you guys ever dare to cross the line in your annoying world of politics, I will add you and every government official in this wretched nation into the pile. Don't expect All Might or the entire world to save you."

With a violent throw, Garou slammed his Mummy into the street, planting him into the stone as his toy groaned under the earth. The sound of bone breaking through the hard concrete made the dog man and his lackeys wince as they look at Mummy with pity.

As reasonable as his deal was, Garou had no incentive that they'll keep their word, so he resorted to a show of force and threats from a magnitude that not even those running the country could ignore.

As much as he hated to admit it, his carelessness did nearly screw him of his dinner and a chance to earn the man-eater's favor. He preferred an excellent roof and hot meals three times per day.

Thus, he took advantage of this opportunity, but not without extorting their pitiful excuse of a retreat bone-dry.

He already crushed around half of the top ten heroes by now at this point, which spoke volumes of disappointment. He wrung the land of its bounty already, of all the challenges it had to offer.

The heroes were barely worth his time anymore other than cheap toys to amuse himself.

He already had his fill of C-Class level heroes like Mumen Rider, he tired of B-Class and A-Class equivalents after mowing down hordes of them in his wake, and the only hero that could finally fulfill his requirements was a crippled man at the brink of retirement.

Garou still did not know what the hell happened to All Might. He can feel the damaged lung and the missing portions of his stomach. His only conjecture was that All Might fought a compelling villain in the past, and he either lost to that villain or defeated the villain at a high cost.

That or he had a blunderous accident of great magnitude from his carelessness. He cannot imagine All Might somehow stepping on a landmine and blowing himself up.

If the pond was almost fished empty of life, so why not let the survivors mature and fill the lake once again?

That was why Garou decided to back off and seemingly take the deal, but not without saving face and twisting this chance into his favor. He did not want to sacrifice his image for peace anyways. Plus, he needed time to deal with the lion for a woman back in his base. Appeasing her for her favor would probably be his most difficult challenge yet.

"…acknowledged."

The dog man looked sour like he was forced to swallow the vomit churning within his throat.

His men probably shared that feeling as Garou savored their bitterness.

"Now get out of my face." Garou started walking past the dog and towards his groceries.

The armored police force parted before Garou, now afraid of setting him off by the slightest chance.

"The fate of your justice depends on what I see in the news, and what you lot do afterward.

Garoua picked up his groceries and inspected the contents. Luckily, not a single product was harmed.

He sighed in relief before walking further down the street, no longer paying the men behind him any more attention.

He then realized that he was running a little late. Quickly, he hugged his bags to his chest to safeguard before he sprinted to his abode with all his might.

To Kenji and the others, Garou vanished like the wind, nary a trace of him in their vision.

"…men…" Kenji broke away from the empty spot where Garou once stood and turned to his men.

"What you've all done is foolish. Enough for me to fire you all for insubordination."

The Police Force in SWAT gear collectively hung their heads. They all acted on their instincts and justices. None weren't ready to lose their jobs and careers.

"…but I must also commend you all, for not only standing up to the monster but also somehow saving the heroes from a gruesome fate."

Multiple sighs of relieves left their lips. The men dropped down onto their rears, exhausted both physically and mentally.

"Ahhh, I thought my heart would stop."

"I thought he's just a hoodlum..."

"That guy isn't human."

The men complained, finally relieved from facing that monster - although Kenji wondered why the man did not merely slaughter them like with the heroes.

'A code of honor? Or…'

Kenji could not tell. A thought to contemplate for another time. They have heroes to tend to and ferry to the hospitals.

Worse, Kenji must construct a viable report for his superiors, and an argument strong enough to convince them to follow through.

* * *

 **Bleh. Here you go. Hope you piranhas are fed hahaha.**


	13. Chapter 13: Healing Souls

"Were you occupied by another business?"

"No…"

"The state of your clothes beg to differ."

Garou and Tsukihana stood in the kitchen preparing their dinner, the first helping the latter prepare dinner at her demand.

"Foooood."

Leaning forward with his chin standing on the kitchen table, Ghin grumbled as his gurgling stomach gnawed at his soul.

"Some hoodlums got in my way. I had to teach them a lesson."

"And that lesson is what, vagrant?"

Garou silently flinched when the white lion choked him with her piercing glance.

Garou wasn't used to this. His parents were ignorant failures, their eyes blind to his plight and their hearts twisted by spiels of false justice. They cannot see past the cover, the filth hiding behind the gilded shell. When they sided with Tacchan without a second thought, Garou no longer saw them as his parents.

That was why he trekked to Bang's dojo atop the mountains in his adolescence to break free from the shackles of helplessness. He did not regret leaving them.

This woman, however, was the opposite. She was sharp, perceptive of Garou's trails, always wary to defend her adopted child. She was more of a parent than his ever was.

"…do not touch my things."

Garou felt a little jealous, but he had no right to be so since Ghin's parents died under the care of heroes. He still couldn't believe _that guy_ allowed his parents to die under that rubble. Hell, he should've done more to him when he twisted him into a pretzel the second time.

"They're not yours, vagrant. Don't act like they are." She said while stirring the curry in the metal pot.

Garou continued chopping the carrots to paper-thin segments, sliding his finished work from the wooden cutting board to the bowl before moving on to the next.

On his person were a tight, white short-sleeve T-Shirt and loose, casual trousers. His masculine form was displayed for public sight, slim yet condensed with a heavily defined purpose.

She glanced at his arms and chest, sometimes distracted by his fit figure.

"Ghin told me you're a martial artist. What is your art?"

Garou's cutting speed and precision was so fast that he had already prepared the vegetables in separate bowls in less than three minutes, which was abnormal even by Quirk standards.

"I doubt you'll believe it's a martial art." Garou scoffed as he placed the knife down, took a bowl of scallions, and sprinkled the contents into the curry pot.

"Ghin told me you founded the style, despite you being eighteen, which is impossible even for Intelligence-enhancing Quirks."

The woman still cannot take in Garou's actual age. His visage belonged to a man in his twenties or thirties, yet he was just a teenager entering adulthood.

"Got a problem with that?" Garou's brusqueness did not do justice in earning Tsukihana's approval. He sounded like a thug more than a martial artist from time to time.

"You have the mien of thugs that scurry the alleys." Tsukihana pointed out the obvious.

"Bite me, woman. I can eat them for breakfast with my fists."

Garou huffed as he placed the lid on the pot after dumping the rest of the ingredients inside. The aroma started to drown the kitchen and spill into the other rooms. Ghin's stomach groaned louder when the fragrance touched his nose.

"Are you sure you're a vigilante?" Tsukihana asked.

"Yeah. Why?"

"I don't think any vigilante I knew would act as a violent thug."

"Screw you."

Tsukihana only pursed her lips as Garou started taking out the race from the cooker, releasing an explosion of steam from within that splashed Garou's face with hot vapor as he smelled the scent of his daily diet.

"Is it doooone?" Ghin whined from the table.

Normally, the boy would cook for Garou and himself, but he couldn't do so as long as his Aunty was present, and there were times even he wanted to be spoiled by his elders.

"Almost done, sweety~" Tsukihana assured in her mother-voice.

Garou did not find that voice suitable for the woman. It was like hearing a dragon pretending to be a caring angel to her cub - before munching on the said cub.

Tsukihana turned to Garou, seeing his staring at her as if looking at a different animal. Her mother-mode instantly switched to her usual persona.

"I take it you have a vexation with me?"

"No. Your 'mother-mode' looks terrible."

His response was a kick to his shins by the landlady. It did not hurt.

Instead, the silver-haired lawyer dropped on her sides from the pain.

"Agh! God… ugh!"

Her pain pleased Garou. His lips slowly widened the more he watched her squirm.

"You… fffffffffff-ugh!" She shot a burning glare at the silver wolf, seeing his daring smile.

"You didn't tell me you have an enhancing Quirk."

"I don't remember ever wanting to share." Garou delightfully reminded.

"Touche. Now you're banned from the apartment for the night."

"Nooooooooo!" Ghin whined at the unwanted banishment. "Let him staaaaay!"

Tsukihana flinched from hearing Ghin's favoring of Garou. Garou's grin only grew wider when she leaked her inner thoughts through her reactions.

"Don't worry. I can sleep outside. Wanna come stargazing at the roof?"

Tsukihana stared at Garou, now secretly panicking inside. Just how far did he corrupt her nephew?

"Yay!"

"No, Ghin! Sleeping outside is dangerous!"

Tsukihana chastised.

"No, it isn't! I have a bodyguard!" Ghin smile was painful to see.

Tsukihana fell into half-despair as Garou brought the plates of rice and curry, already taking out the dishes while the lawyer fooled around.

"Alright, time to eat. The lawyer will not join us today due to her injuries."

Several veins popped under Tsukihana's skin. The more words that came out of his mouth, the more she hated the man that intruded her house.

"Oh, you little…"

Ghin was sheepishly grinning at the interaction. His life became twice as fun. Garou's communication with Tsukihana was comedy gold - no, platinum.

And to think he was afraid of Aunty banishing Garou the moment she laid eyes on him.

"What? Should I call the hospital for you?" Garou thew the verbal lighter.

"Not. Another. Word."

Tsukihana forcefully stomped towards their table as Garou laid the plates down.

Ghin smiled happily, this time, all three residents seated at the same table instead of the usual lonely two.

Tsukihana looked at Ghin eating his dish, spoon shoveling curry rice into his mouth. He was more energetic than she saw before. Ghin was happy.

She smiled slightly that his mental health was improving. She frowned when the source of his happiness was from the insufferable man right at their table, even more so when she realized that the man had marked his fair share of living space through her nephew.

The fact that she could do almost nothing to kick him out infuriated her. But even so, she must protect Ghin from the corruption, to prevent him from falling into a dark path - for her sister's sake and his.

However, when she sat on the table, tension started to tickle the air.

"Hm?" Tsukihana looked at the source, discovering it to be Ghin and Bang staring at each other for a moment. She caught her nephew stealing glances at the second helpings of curry rice the table.

"I call dibs!" Ghin shouted, resuming their nightly battles.

Two pairs of hands blurred, and sounds of chomping filled the kitchen, the wolf inhaling his dish with gulps while the cub nibbles his plate clean in piecemeal with lightning-swift finesse.

Before Tsukihana could pick up her chopstick, their plates were licked clean. Not a single stain remained on their plates.

"Eh?"

The fact that the two fought each other for seconds confused the poor lawyer. She couldn't even see when the two jammed their spoons into the curry rice.

All she saw was the food melting away, leaving only empty plates.

"Nooooooo!"

Little did she know that Ghin failed to get a single bite or that Bang fended off Ghin's spoon while hoarding his total share in that interim.

* * *

At the crack of dawn banishing yesterday's night, the master of the hunt, his top half-naked with glistening sweat, renewed his daily routine atop the roof, flexing arm and leg with each transition while bathing in the orange light of the rising Sun.

The day was Wednesday, a school day for Ghin. The boy already left by school busy, leaving the Hunter alone with the silver lioness.

The woman yawned by the doorway, watching Garou with interest despite her lethargy weighing down her body.

When she woke, she failed to find 'Bang' in the apartment. However, when she arrived at the roof to train, he caught her interest with his form.

She almost recognized some of his stance forms. One represented a swooping crane diving into the waters when he stood on one leg with one hand facing the sun and the other held at a slanting low.

His next transition was a swinging mantis pouncing at a phantom prey, emulated by swinging both arms down while lunging forward with a broad step.

After that, his next routine was him free-forming in her eyes, but she corrected herself when she realized that he was practicing against an imaginary foe invisible to all but him.

The atmosphere around Garou tensed with friction and intensity only seen during clashes of Heroes against Villains.

"How long do you usually train?" Tsukihana asked. She looked at her time, seeing that he trained for almost thirty minutes nonstop.

"How long are you gonna watch?" Garou shout back without giving her a greeting glance in his routine.

"My choice is pending. Although, I must ask, why do you train this hard even though you have a Quirk?"

Most heroes do not exert themselves this much in self-improvement after their graduation. Quirks cannot evolve through training for most, after all.

Exceptional cases might exist where a Quirk would mutate or develop under certain conditions, usually through extreme psychological stress, but those were rare.

After all, Endeavour could not improve himself to surpass All Might despite his efforts; otherwise, he would match All Might at this day.

"Like hell, I'll rely on something so useless." Garou retorted, pulling a quirked brow from Tsukihana.

"You consider Quirks 'useless' even though you have one yourself?" Tsukihana queried Garou's logic.

"Look at the heroes today. Garou managed to hunt so many do them down because their fangs have dulled. Their reliance on their Quirks is the source of their weakness."

Tsukihana hummed at his explanation. Now that she thought about it, Bang never used any semblance of a Quirk during his routine.

"Despite your contradiction, your logic is peculiar, yet intriguing. I do not understand how you acquired such a notion, but I can see some truth in it. However, there's a reason why heroes refrain from further honing their skills once they enter the professional world."

"Then they should retire. Those who do not change themselves in the face of adversity don't deserve the right to remain as defenders."

Tsukihana sighed as she rolled her eyes. This man's logic was somewhat twisted, something born and bred under the laws of the jungle.

"No one starts strong, Bang. I don't think most of those Garou hunted would remain stagnant as you think."

"You're not wrong. But you're also wrong. They can never reach Garou's level," Garou replied.

Tsukihana would not admit that.

"…do you think All Might can beat Garou?" Tsukihana asked.

"No."

"Your answer is quite swift. What's your evidence in that claim?"

"Simple. All Might has never saved the day ever since Garou debuted."

His answer robbed Tsukihana of any retort. The man used All Might's enigmatic nature against her as his edge in their verbal debate.

"...are you sure you're a vigilante?" Tsukihana was more convinced that he was a villain than a rogue defender of justice.

"Who knows? But I'm damn sure I'm better than them."

Tsukihana hummed in thought. She could not track his movements no matter how much she strained her eyes. No matter what, Bang escaped her dynamic without effort, even the slightest twitch of his muscles failed to register in her eyes.

The man was strong; she knew as a fact.

"…why did you volunteer as my nephew's guardian?"

Garou ceased his activities the next second, his body stiff as a statue.

She watched as his eyes veered earthward, staring at the concrete floor but not looking at it at the same time.

His gaze was focused on the fog, known as his mind.

"…I won't force you to answer. At least you proved that your intentions are pure." She sighed, shaking her head.

"I don't know what you did to brighten his demeanor, but… please. Don't lead him down the wrong path. He clearly looks up to you, so I only ask you to become a worthy role model."

Or at least someone that won't look like a violent thug picking on people in the streets.

She turned back, yawning once more as she scratched her hair. It was still early in the morning.

She was late for her daily coffee, her precious, delicious coffee.

"…learn to wear some modesty when you wake up."

Garou referred to her shorts and a sleeveless, casual tank top. Much of her skin was exposed from her knees down and her stomach and the tank top barely covered her torso, the tight cloth accentuating her two mounds and hourglass figure.

"So?" Tsukihana stretched her arms overhead, twisting her waist left and right before turning back inside the building.

"I'm your landlord. I do as I please in my own home."

"Shrew."

"Dog."

"'Aunt-lion.'"

That shot drew the last straw of her temperance.

"You're begging for instant eviction."

Further sparks abladed the air, the rivalry between the predators intensifying to new heights.

* * *

During the days of woe, when Garou hunted heroes left and right without fail, those pursued in Hosu congregated to one hospital above all else - before they commissioned out back into the field… or to retirement.

Here, heroes from the horrendous manhunt rested in serried beds, one of whom Garou fondly dubbed 'Mummy.' Ironically, bandages wrapped around 'Mummy' to the point where he looked more like an actual mummy.

"Nii-chan!"

Barging through the door with the glass pane, Tenya Iida visually scrubbed the room for his brother, Ingenium. Following him were their parents, both rushing towards their eldest son but at a pace slower than Tenya.

As for the patient in question, the wounded Ingenium raised his hand, one of which a cast encapsulated from the wrist to the elbow without hindering the protruding engine exhaust tubes at the end. More bandages ensnared his torso from the neck down along with a neck cone, but his legs were free from the white cloth.

"Brother!" He grabbed Tensei's nearest hand, tears of worry starting to stream behind his glasses as stifled sobs choked his words.

"Tenya-kun. Don't worry. None of us are disabled… physically at least." Tensei sighed as he remembered how he and the rest ended up here. It was a miracle that the police didn't join them in their attempt at rescue.

Tenya, on the other hand, clenched his teeth between the sobs. He was worried that his brother would end up behind Garou's crosshairs once more, but not like this - not when he threw himself into Garou's notice.

"Please, don't worry about me too much. You'll make our parents worry, too, if you keep this up."

Tenya's sobs slowed after some heavy breaths. He nodded as his heart steadied, but his fingers tightened around Tensei's.

"...what happened, nii-san? How much did he hurt you?"

Tenya's eyes almost twisted in anger upon imagining the horrors the Hero Hunter subjected him to.

"Well, I was knocked out near the end, but not that much. I look messed up, but the doctors told me I'd be decommissioned after a week or so hahaha." Tensei laughed, his voice muffled by the annoying cone, trying to downplay the magnitude of his current state.

"B-But…" Tenya gestured to Ingenium's current state. He looked like ground meat the doctors barely patched together with white linen and needles.

"I know. I'm surprised Garou didn't do much worse. He probably would if the police didn't step in. Like him." Tensei pointed at Eraserhead's bed, which was right beside his.

When Tenya and their parents turned to them, the sight pried their eyes open like dinner plates. Bandages wrapped that patient's body from head to toe, not a single skin exposed through the gaps.

Tensei heard about how Garou reacted when he nearly stepped on the groceries.

At first, he laughed when Garou defended his groceries with the zeal of a wolf protecting his cub. Then his laughter died upon seeing Eraserhead's current state.

At first sight, Tensei already imagined himself in a similar state, probably decommissioned from his duty for good.

When he asked the doctor about Eraserhead, he divulged Eraserhead's injuries.

He was lucky his skull didn't crack like an egg. Eraserhead suffered the most damage amongst the heroes, broken arms, fractured ribs, and more.

Eraserhead would live, able to return to his active duty as a hero, but his spirit was another matter.

Their bodies survived the beatings, but, like their predecessors, their feelings of pride were scarred. The heroes could sympathize with Garou's victims, but experiencing it was another matter entirely - even more so when they learned that Garou was Quirkless. The mere fact that a Quirkless damaged the hero society this much aroused much self-reflection on their ideals and beliefs.

What was the point of their efforts, their meticulously nurtured confidence in their abilities, if they were crushed like a bug under the heel of someone without any inborn abilities in the first place?

They still could not believe that reaching that level was within the realms of possibility.

"…" The visiting Iida family stared at the mummy, unsure of how to distinguish the patient's identity.

"Oh, right. The patient next to me is Eraserhead. Try not to stare at him too much. He… is kinda sensitive about it."

The mummy groaned an incoherent jumble of words at Tensei, almost as if he was trying to curse him for that jibe.

"Eraserhead? _The_ Eraserhead?" Tenya's mood shifted from shock to wonder upon seeing one of the teachers of U.A. here.

"But…" Their father was more concerned with his condition. "What happened to him?"

Tensei's smile faltered upon recalling that disaster.

"…he gave his health heroically to stop Garou."

"Did he erase his Quirk?" Tenya did not understand how they managed to fail despite having Eraserhead in their arsenal.

Tensei grimaced. Garou reemerged in his thoughts, his laughter, and his anger.

"…his Quirk didn't work," Tensei revealed.

"D-Didn't-I thought his Erasure can shut down any non-mutant Quirk." Tenya was sure that he could shut down Garou's Quirk.

He was sure that Garou wasn't a mutant Quirk user, at least… he hoped so.

"That's the problem… I didn't think it was possible, but Garou has no Quirk. Eraserhead did not even slow him down."

The Iida family trio froze like static.

Tenya Iida especially when the words 'Hero Hunter' and 'Quirkless' came together.

"I… he's…"

"The Hunter Amongst Villains has no Quirk since the start. It is not possible no matter how I thought this through, but reality cares not for our common sense…"

Tenya wanted to become a hero like his brother. He tried to live up to his brother's legacy and uphold it with honor and valor. He has a similar Quirk to his brother, the Hero Ingenium, but hearing that a man could become even stronger without a Quirk shattered his views of the world and centuries of nurtured common sense.

"…say, Tenya-kun." Tensei did not smile this time.

He looked serious, eyes staring at the tiled ceiling as if he was in thought.

"Should I continue my work as a Hero?"

* * *

In another room, however, Gran Torino rested alone, all four limbs encased in casts awhile bandages mummified his body from the neck down. Looking at the ceiling while emotionally distressing memories of facing Garou, Gran Torino recalled the horrific memory of Garou pummeling them like helpless sandbags with Eraserhead as his weapon.

It was humiliating and painful.

Still, Gran Torino could not believe that he escaped the pile.

Entering the room, All Might and Sir Nighteye joined the injured hero, the first looking at his former instructor with sadness while the latter hid his distress behind his stoic mask.

"Here to pity the old man?" Gran Torino asked the two visitors. He couldn't crane his neck to look at them, but he knew from the feel of their presence alone.

"...you know me well enough to know that is not why I'm here." Toshinori Yagi shook his head.

Once upon a time, he was in a bed similar to Gran Torino's.

"I, for one, would like to confirm some inquiries about your encounter." Sir Nighteye pushed his glasses up, but he could not defeat the corner of his lips from twitching with frustration.

"If you wanna hear that Garou is Quirkless from me, my answer is 'I have no idea, you imbecile.'" Gran Torino replied with sarcasm.

Yagi shook his head out of nostalgia, remembering the fond memories of his days as a trainee.

"...how is Garou, by the way?" Yagi asked.

"You mean you're not surprised that he is much stronger than when you fought? Or the fact that he can somehow copy and use _your_ moves of all things and made it much more lethal?" Gran Torino gave All Might the same treatment.

Toshinori was not surprised. He expected it, but hearing Garou mimicking his moves and reforming it to his needs nearly instigated a life-ending heart attack.

"That did not answer my question. Are you sure that Garou has no Quirk?" Sir Nighteye asked, his stoicism crumbling into a trembling mess.

Gran Torino paused to gather his thoughts. Eraserhead could not shut down Garou's power, and Garou wasn't a mutant-type Quirk user since he bore no mutant-like traits, But despite all that, Garou could perform feats that only those with Quirks can match after years of harsh training.

"I don't know what I should say, sonny. I've met some people who can beat most of the heroes up Quirkless, but I have never seen anyone fend off countless tranquilizer bullets with their bare hands. That should be impossible without a Quirk. He said it's all 'technique' somehow."

The old hero added emphasis on that term especially. In all his years, he had never encountered such a technique that could cut buildings with blasts of air, catch bullets, or beat up heroes left and right without resistance.

Sir Nighteye clenched his teeth and clicked his tongue, frustration now spilling through the broken dam.

"Damn it, damn it, DAMN IT!" Sir Nighteye banged the rails of Torino's bed. His aggravation was now plain to see.

However, Sir Nighteye felt a hand on his shoulder. Turning to the source, he saw Toshinori Yagi gazing at him with assuring eyes, shaking his head to say 'don't be frustrated.'

"I can understand how you feel. We are dealing with a special case." Toshinori huffed.

Gran Torino could not even move his head, but he could mentally picture their actions.

"'Special' my old rear. I'm not sure if Garou is even human."

The room remained silent as the solemn air weighed their hearts. It was as if even uttering Garou's name alone had power over them, one that now carried despair to all it reached.

"...what do you think? You traded blows with him before. You think he's human?" Gran Torino asked Yagi, banishing the awkward air around them.

Scenes of their bout screened through the Number One Hero's mind. He remembered it all as clear as day, Garou's tactics, cunning, skill, all of which his experience as a hero could not amount.

"...Garou fought above the realm of what heroes can perform, something that lies beyond the realm of 'villain.' However, I know that his fighting style comes from human origins. He is shaped with discipline, unlike the others."

"Discipline?" The image of Garou smacking Midnight arose. "The guy that smacked most of us with a hero like a blackjack was shaped by discipline?"

Toshinori stiffened at the image of that debacle.

"...well, maybe if you push him hard enough…" Toshinori avoided veered away from further eye contact, even though Gran Torino was still stuck gazing at the ceiling.

"Then we are screwed. Before, Garou can match you in strength. Now? I don't know. I think he can face you in your prime at this point."

Gran Torino did not mince his words. Right now, Garou did bear the semblance of a man that could take on the greatest of heroes or villains. He could tell from Garou's demonstration of might when he used his aura to oppress him and the standing Police Force. It was as if a giant was toying with an ant with his foot, not even applying his weight in the step.

"...really?"

"Really."

"...he really meant that?"

"Meant what?" Gran Torino asked.

Toshinori's face only invited further confusion from his cohorts.

"…he said he wanted to face me in my prime before he left…"

Sir Nighteye and Gran Torino finally remembered that tidbit. In fact, they completely forgot about that since their imagination cannot hold the thought of Garou growing stronger.

"…well, we're doomed." Gran Torino summarizes their situation.

"H-Hey, don't say that…"

"I suggest you transfer One For All into another vessel. A more worthy one." Sir Nighteye suggested out of the blue.

Gran Torino and All Might both threw their heads at the former sidekick out of shock - the first failed to inch his head, however, so he threw his eyes down instead.

"Oi, oi. That's not an option. You can't just force someone to surrender their Quirk. That's not how we do it."

Gran Torino may not be a hero by choice, but he at least valued his departed friend's legacy.

The times might be desperate, but to cross the line without a second thought will arouse antagonism.

"Do not tell me whether it's an option or not. If we don't raise a strong enough hero, Garou will continue terrorizing Japan unobstructed. Who knows what kind of damage he would bring should he break the ceasefire?"

Sir Nighteye aroused a valid point. The government of Japan might've agreed to Garou's demands, but they had no real incentive that Garou would uphold his end of the agreement.

However, Toshinori Yagi cannot picture Garou breaking a promise. Then he recalled the… comical turn of events that lead to the bargain.

"...should we threaten his groceries again then?" Yagi joked as he stifled a giggle.

His reminder defused all tension between Gran Torino and Sir Nighteye. They almost forgot how the team managed to survive Garou's wrath.

"Ah, Yes. Almost forgot about that… huh, now that I remember it, it's quite humiliating."

Gran Torino chuckles. He wondered how he should narrate this to Nana Shimura when he joined her in Heaven.

"…Indeed." Sir Nighteye sighed, exhaling his stress upon remembering that information.

"Heh. I don't blame you for forgetting. I mean, it's the first time I've seen a guy that treated food like his treasure, haha! I would laugh at that if I weren't in Garou's crosshairs at that moment."

Torino's joke brought a small smile to Sir Nighteye's face, but it quickly vanished the next moment.

"Yes, I… had forgotten about that. Ahem, anyways, then we can withhold the transfer for the moment."

"I don't think you can send spies to Hosu at this point. We have seen how attuned Garou's senses were. It's too risky, brat."

Gran Torino would not allow Sir Nighteye to give Garou a potential Casus Belli. It would end in disaster should he uncover them.

"I do understand your fears, but we must do something to keep a leash around that monster. There is so much we don't know about Garou to resist his advances."

"The scientists can't gather much from his blood?" Gran Torino hoped that Garou's blood drawn from his bout with All Might could divulge some insight to his origins at this point. They were lucky enough to retrieve a single drop from Garou, but even in this day and age, analyzing a person's blood for the presence of Quirks was arduous.

"Not much that we do not already know. However, they do confirm that Garou is Quirkless and… human. At least, they think so." Sir Nighteye sounded concerned.

"'Think' so?" Toshinori asked with curiosity.

"That is my opinion. Even I find it hard to believe that anyone without a Quirk can defeat All Might, weakened or not."

Sir Nighteye turned to the door, proceeding to exit the room with calm, controlled steps.

"I must take my leave. There is much I need to do."

Sir Nighteye then disappeared around the corner, leaving Toshinori and Torino alone in the room with only the heart monitor droning alongside the monotonous silence.

"…your inheritor has his work cut out for him," Gran Torino spoke.

Yagi did not need more reminders of the disparity between Garou and Midoriya. He was guilty enough as he was.

"Please, Sensei. I understand this all too well."

And that didn't count the dangers of potential villains waiting to sprout in society. At least Garou was busy preying on them to sate his bloodlust.

"…sorry for my asking, but I must hear your opinion. How dangerous would you label Garou in terms of potential?"

The fact that Garou copied his Smash Techniques from their bout brought much concern to the Number One Hero. In his long career, he had never met anyone else capable of such feats, save for All For One. However, unlike the ageless Quirk thief, Garou allegedly had no Quirk.

"I've no damn clue. He is beyond my field to decipher, so I expect the worst. Common sense does not apply to the monster."

Not even his years of experience could help. Garou was a creature like no other, something that shouldn't exist.

"I see…" Toshinori looked at his hands.

He wondered… if Garou achieved such power without the need of Quirks, he pondered if he could as well? In fact, could Midoriya also accomplish that level of might?

The question was, what was the secret behind his power?

"If you want my honesty, that guy still has potential to grow. I don't know how strong Garou would become when your brat finishes mastering One For All. I am afraid that he will dwarf even that ageless monster with enough time."

Gran Torino knew. He had not yet encountered another individual that played with his life like a ball of yarn other than All For One.

"…is that so?" Yagi clenched his emaciated hands. He must do something at least, to resolve this crisis before the vestiges of One For All fade.

"What will you do? If this continues, Midoriya might have to follow your path earlier than expected." Gran Torino referred to Yagi's leaving for America once upon a time when he was still weak when All For One still ruled Japan from the shadows.

All hope at this point was seemingly lost. However, Yagi recalled his time interacting with Garou.

"…maybe not through battle." An epiphany struck him. The idea was so brilliant that the shock nearly reduced him into a coughing mess.

"Oh? What clever idea bonked your sorry head this time?"

Toshinori Yagi turned to Gran Torino, a smile slowly stretching his emaciated features.

"If Sir Nighteye needed a spy, there is one he could use." Of course, why didn't he thought of his earlier?

He had already acquainted himself with Garou shortly before he fought the Hunter.

"Who on this green earth can slip through Garou's radar?" Gran Torino could not imagine anyone capable of stealing a glance off Garou's personal life.

Toshinori pointed at himself.

"You're looking at him."

If Garou still avoided civilians and cops throughout his hunts, then Toshinori Yagi, not All Might, could survive.

* * *

 **Bleh. I accidentally mixed a monster cell in the meat. Now I must cast Super Tier magic to kill a Leviathan. Then use the Goal of All Life is Death to empower Iia Shub Niggurath and end your lives hehe. Also, I got a new cover page fro** **m TGSmurf. Check him out for excellent art.**

 **Edit: Thank you guest reviewer for correcting my mistake. I changed that part now.**


	14. Chapter 14: Aftermath

Seven more days flew by, a week of suspense after the media declared that the hero team had concluded in Hosu.

The hearts of the masses were taut with unease, a mix of concerned anticipation and excitement pounding their chests at gradually deafening beats. The organizer of the strike team was set to announce the result of their efforts at noon.

Most hoped that with Endeavour, Garou would finally fall under the hands of justice once and for all. Some, however, feared that they shared the fates of their forerunners, heroes that joined the growing mountain of bodies under Garou's feet.

Workers and students in their schools even cleared their schedule for the announcement, waiting for Sir Nighteye to appear on stage behind the screens.

In the Underdark of society, almost all of the villains waited with eagerness, some hoping for the Hero Hunter's demise while others wished the heroes' downfall. The Hunter Amongst Villains was a neutral force of nature, a beast that ravaged anyone in its sight, be they good or evil. The Hunter had amassed much hatred from the villain side as well.

Before the media on live television, behind the pulpit atop the podium, the bespectacled salaryman walked onto the stage.

Sir Nighteye was a lean but muscular man. His features were sharp and elongated. His dark green hair smoothed down and parted to his left while reflecting the ceiling light with luster with three yellow streaks towards the front, two on his right, and one on his left. The yellow color of his eyebrows matched that of the rims of his triangular glasses and the strikingly bright irises of his stern-locked eyes.

Overall, his mien imposed a picture of authority, eyes seemingly locked into a permanent glare as his lips froze into an eternal frown.

The former sidekick of All Might adjusted his glasses behind the screen with gentle hands before one of the reporters fired the first question.

"[Sir Nighteye! What happened to the strike team?! Did they succeed in apprehending Garou?!]"

"[Is Japan's Number One menace finally detained?!]"

"[How did it go?!]"

The questions crashed into Sir Nighteye like an overdue tidal wave of which microphones shot forth from the waters like beasts of the bottomless sea.

Even in spite of his apprehension, Sir Nighteye inhaled a deep breath before answering.

"[To all the good people that are watching, I thank you for sparing the time for this announcement - from the children watching from their schools to the hard-working adults in their offices.]" Sir Nighteye started his announcement with etiquette, to soften the viewers' anxiety around Japan.

The noise dimmed to a dead silence, where only snaps of cameras clicked in the background.

"[I understand why we are here - the spark that lead to our being here. To all the people in Japan, be they good men or villains, I apologize for what my answer will arouse.]"

The pause returned, but this time with tension so thick one could peel it like the skin of an orange. Everyone in the room held their breath, waiting for the climax of his announcement.

However, Sir Nighteye's revelation only sunk their hearts once it left his lips.

"[We have failed to detain Garou despite our meticulous efforts. We have severely underestimated Garou's power and his origins. For all the heroes that fell under Garou's hand, I apologize for our failure.]"

Sir Nighteye stunned the audience into silence. Not a single reporter could gather the strength to move forward and speak. Be it the ones assigned to aggressively strip Sir Nighteye bare of all his armor or those pressing him for answers to support their respective media stations.

The situation was more prominent as the citizens watched with horror. Endeavour was one of the members. If the team had failed, then Garou had proven himself stronger than even Japan's strongest hero, also when backed up by a squad of other professional heroes.

"[I understand you all have questions, but not even I have all the answers you seek. However, I will tell the summary of what transpired when we encountered Garou. Please withhold your questions until I finish.]"

This time, Sir Nighteye sucked in his breath to steel his composure.

Looking back, he could still remember the static on the films; the blank grey that always appeared whenever he tried to predict Garou's actions through the other heroes.

All his Foresight provided were blanks in the future. He couldn't detect anything related to Garou ever since he entered the case. No matter the number of his attempts, Sir Nighteye failed to see any visions past a specific point in time. It was as if Garou held the future in his clutches.

He was fear made manifest, an embodiment of oppression where resistance meant suffering.

In the end, Sir Nighteye must endure and move forward. If the future did not provide the answers he sought, he would forge his outcomes as he resumed his announcement.

* * *

Laidback on his cushioned couch, his right elbow supporting his cheek above the knuckle, and with one leg over the other under the dim light, All For One stared at the screen with his eyes.

Indeed, his eyes. The cells from _that specimen_ had proven more powerful than he thought, repairing the damage that not even the current generation of Quirks could administer. He forgot what it meant to see after years of relying on his Quirks, spying through the lens of the thermal world and the echoes of existence.

In the end, nothing could defeat the power of sight.

Soon, the rest of his organs will return to their former glory, but it will take months for the process to finish. It would not matter, however, as he had all the time in the world in the end. And All Might could never receive the same boon as All For One returned to his prime and destroy all he held dear.

The surprises of the unknown never ceased, even more so when Kurogiri managed to summon more objects from the far realms.

"[We have strong evidence that Garou is Quirkless.]"

But in the end, surprises lurk in every corner, even in the dull country of Japan.

"What?"

Straightening his back and leaning forward slightly out of surprise, All For One gave Sir Nighteye his undivided interest.

The man that built a mountain from the bodies of his victims held no special powers? The ageless thief thought the Hunter Amongst Villains held an extraordinary power like his, a miracle that raised him above the rest of the world.

However…

"[To explain the core cause of our members' failure, our plan involved Eraserhead as the crucial key to our victory. However, despite his infamous ability to nullify Quirks, we have uncovered a horrifying truth from their encounter - that he had no Quirk whatsoever.]"

It appeared that exceptions do exist even in this world.

"How is it possible?"

Not even the ageless villain could understand. He recorded the evolution of humankind in his memory ever since Quirks first burst into existence. From years of civil wars to the first Hero, All For One experienced much through his years, but never did he encounter a Quirkless man with such physical prowess.

All For One assumed either Garou's Quirk had mutated to the point where not even Eraserhead's Erasure could nullify or… he wasn't human in the first place.

He watched as the reporters fired question after question at the salaryman, from questioning his evidence leading to his conclusion to whether he was lying. All For One doubted that even Sir Nighteye of all heroes would be foolish enough to deceive the masses with such a bold claim blatantly.

"[We had retrieved some of Garou's hair from his previous Hunts to confirm Garou's origins through a DNA inspection. We have found no traces of any Mutant-type Quirks in his genes, but we did confirm that he is human… which resulted in our conclusion.]" Sir Nighteye explained his reasoning.

This time, All For One was suspicious. His years of experience guided his conclusion that Garou could not be human. Reaching such a level of power without a Quirk was impossible, as All For One observed the world from the shadow for centuries, but his mind was still open to the possibility.

"[Then what will happen to the Heroes now that he has defeated Endeavour?! Is there any word from All Might?!]"

All For One had a suspicion on All Might. There was no such thing as an All Might that never took action against such rampaging evil, in any shape or form. However, the fact that Garou continued hunting undeterred despite All Might's presence, All For One concluded the impossible.

His sources even managed to confirm it at the very least through the trails and circumstance.

"[...there's no need. At the climax of our battle, to our shock, the Police Force managed to…]"

It was very subtle and brief, but All For One could detect his stoic mien quivering.

"[...convince Garou into a ceasefire.]"

His revelation rendered most of Japan into a pause, including the greatest villain of Japan.

* * *

"Eh?"

Within the homes of the masses, many uttered that one phrase while the rare few were frozen in stunned silence, sharing unanimous confusion.

Bakugou picked his ears clean with his pinky, unsure if he heard it right.

"[Indeed. Through circumstances which I will not divulge, the Police Force managed to save the heroes and bargain with the Hero Hunter to forge a ceasefire for now. The Hero Hunter had agreed to halt his hunting of heroes in exchange for… privileges. For example, all forms of law enforcement, Hero, Police, Military, or Government, will not take any action against the hero hunter as long as he abides by the laws to an acceptable extent, including his hunting heroes most importantly.]"

Bakugou could not understand the crap that had just entered his ears.

The Police Force actually did something? How the hell did they manage to coerce the guy that obliterated all the heroes thrown at him, Endeavour included? That should not be possible. The police should be rotting under the body pile, not hailed with a heroes' welcome.

However, above all the unbelievable shit he heard in his life, the announcement that Garou was Quirkless was the worst.

Like hell Garou's Quirkless. There's no such thing as a Quirkless Villain with such a high kill count. If there was a Quirkless that could score as many kills as the stars in the sky, they should've popped up years ago before he was born.

On his couch, Izuku couldn't believe it when he heard from All Might, but to hear it from the announcer live erased his remaining denial.

"[As for the details of how they managed to coerce the ceasefire from Garou, we decided not to release it to the public. After all, we are only withholding such sensitive information to keep the Hero Hunter from breaking his end of the deal, so I advise against any questions related to the topic. He promised to hunt not only heroes, but also the Police Force, officials, and those of the government should we break our oaths, thus if any Reporter still wished to inquire, know you are endangering the lives of others, and _yourselves_.]"

Izuku saw the reporters from the screen withdrawing their microphones upon hearing the consequences of offending the Hero Hunter. He could understand as All Might nearly join the mountain of bodies growing underneath Garou's feet. A few of them gulped out of nervousness like they were swallowing their questions with great effort.

"[U-Um, why are you so sure Garou would break his status quo to target the media should you reveal what happened on that day?]" One reporter, however, was dumb enough to ask.

"[Because the heroes were there and saying it aloud is more than enough to earn his ire. I am not exaggerating. He will force you to retire if you take another step down this road. Unless you want to test your luck, that is?]"

The dumb reporter slowly retreated, his eyes looking away as he shuddered on his feet. Izuku could tell that he was afraid that he might become Garou's first media victim.

"[But you did not answer about All Might! What about Japan's Number One Hero? Wouldn't he stop Garou?]" Another reporter, a female with long, brown hair tied into a bun sprouted next.

"[Yes, about that…]" Sir Nighteye paused in front of live television. Izuku wondered how he would skirt around this thorny question. It was not precisely a simple obstacle to avoid as the Number One Hero was one of Garou's victims… well, pseudo-victims. All Might did not join the pile, after all.

"[Before the manhunt began, All Might engaged Garou in battle during the week prior.]" Sir Nighteye informed.

"Eh?" Izuku was like a fish staring blankly at the glass. Did All Might really fight him? Or was it another bluff to stave off the reporters? Actually, what would Garou do if Sir Nighteye slipped?

"[However, our Number One Hero could not defeat Garou. The match ended in a draw which leads to both combatants leaving with severe injuries.]" Sir Nighteye explained cleverly.

"Ohhhh…" Izuku smiled, finding his words clever. Sir Nighteye had found the middle ground, a way to stave off Garou while dodging a bullet regarding All Might.

"[What? He…]"

All of Japan fell into silence, unable to understand what Sir Nighteye revealed. The Hero Hunter proved to be as strong as the Symbol of Peace? That was something not everyone could expect.

"[...All Might… can't beat him?]" The reporters were at a loss for words. Not even they could understand the depth of their situation.

"[Indeed. All Might is still recovering as we speak, but he would leave tomorrow. As for Garou, we do not know, but I wouldn't advise any Hero to hunt him down from this point. We cannot save you if you offer yourselves to the wolf in his den. The Police Force or the Government will not aid any hero that dares challenge Garou from now on. The consequences of this pact have been made clear by Garou himself.]"

Many adults were silent, many more youths speechless. In a way, All Might's inaction against Garou did sow seeds of suspicion within their hearts. Albeit what blossomed from these seeds grew outside their expectations.

Within his era, All Might imprinted a strong impression into the hearts of the people. To them, All Might did not only symbolize peace, but also victory against the forces of evil. But that symbol was losing its radiance. They could see the cracks forming in the symbol, the first fissure widening.

The Hero Hunter. The Human Monster. The Hunter Amongst Villains. The man that left a trail of despair through the victims he chewed in his wake. His legacy was fear, and his history shrouded like shadows, Garou quickly became the Symbol of Fear for Heroes and Villains alike. To the forces of light and dark, Garou was Death. He was the reaper that claims something more precious to him than souls.

He reaped their worlds and tore them apart, their faiths and conceptions of truth and tore them asunder, leaving only spiritless remains like discarded shells. The populace did believe that All Might could stand against Garou, but after hearing his failure... their hope rattled for the first time.

Fear had wormed its way through.

* * *

On the couch with the two individuals that stood above him in the 'hierarchy,' Garou could feel the stare burning rays into his head from his right. He wanted to tell Ghin to stop staring at him as if he had done something wrong. It felt weird and awkward, a mixture of feelings that coalesced into sweat-inducing guilt that was gnawing his insides.

'Stop staring at me as if I've done something wrong.'

 _Jiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii~_

The boy refused to stop staring at him with those accursed, stoic eyes. It felt like the boy was trying to shoot laser beams to bore a hole into his defenses and boil his swelling guilt past the boiling point. Worse, the landlady didn't even notice that she was looking at the very man responsible for sending the heroes to the hospital in bandages and shame - or that the culprit was sitting on her couch right in her living room as she started commenting on the announcement.

"Well, I am not sure if this is a prank or a poorly written script of a story with great potential. What could the Police Force do to coerce even the Hero Hunter out of all people to concede?" She spoke with a mix of casual and professional vocabulary.

'You're the damn reason.' Garou mentally rebuked. She was the sole reason why he had to retreat to make space for breathing room. As much as he hates to admit, he was on the defensive in this playing field.

For once in his life, Garou had to solve a problem _without_ the need for excessive violence. However, it didn't mean Garou was inept. No matter the Quirk, Garou was confident that his skill and experience alone could defeat it. Even if the nation's entire military swarmed him, Garou would still emerge the victor with callous ease.

Garou had confidence, and he found a way of dealing with Quirks in general. After all, Garou had studied the concept and mechanics of Quirks in-depth, through direct combat with Heroes and Villains, the digital sea of the internet, library, and other sources to compare the power with those back in his world.

Apparently, not all Quirks were safe for the user, and there were some limitations to its applications. Garou always wondered what the differences between Quirks, ESPER powers, and particular special abilities from powerful monsters. So far, Garou could only conclude that it was a strange combination of the two, the result being a monster version of Esper power.

Although the compounded result ended with something that border lined science and childish nonsense, Esper power made some sense at the very least, Garou realized. It is like the physical alteration of the world around the person with their mind. How it was done, Garou did not know in detail, but at least the concept made some sense after he studied Tatsumaki in detail back home.

Here? Garou had absolutely no clue how their powers function other than rampant mutation. All he knew was that there was a 'hardware' and a 'power source' in each Quirk user. The hardware was the very molecular structure of the individual's DNA while the power source was the enigmatic biofuel that powered those Quirks.

The science was still underdeveloped hitherto, but Garou detected a slight difference between the phenomena induced by a Quirk and those naturally caused. There was energy behind it that Garou could manipulate to an extent, though it was limited to deflect, redirect, or resist, not negate like with Eraserhead's Quirk. Garou could not do anything else since he could only touch the essence of certain Quirk-caused phenomena like flames or energy blasts. However, if Another Quirk could annul quirks without fail, then Quirks could be defeated. Mainly, to parry and redirect the power of Quirks through his own power.

For example, there was a hero that could shoot lightning that he generated from afar. Then he met a Villain that could store and redirect the electricity from the surrounding area. The villain was weaker than that of the hero, but Garou did notice a slight difference.

The first was not naturally made, something forced into existence through means he did not know, making it somewhat corrupted to a minor degree. In short, it did not feel like natural lightning. Garou could still _will_ it out of existence as if he was rejecting the lightning's very existence and the Quirk is weak enough. And that hero's Quirk wasn't very strong in comparison.

The second, however, felt unadulterated, pure. Although Garou could still nullify it with an overwhelming will and power, in the end, he could still feel the purity of the electricity as it took him marginally more effort, very slight - though the contrast was still there. It made Garou wonder, if abilities of Quirks were to induce certain phenomena that should be impossible artificially, then how did it work without outright killing the user somewhat? What was it that kept it from harming the possessor?

Something was keeping the Quirks from outright harming the user, well most of them. The same safety mechanism did not exist or was flawed in other Quirk users, making them… somewhat defective or near-Quirkless. The randomness did have a downside after all. Garou wanted to know if he could exploit this truth by developing a technique that could resist any form of Quirk power on this Earth.

Still, there was one problem with achieving this skill… he must either face a Quirk user that could push him to his limits or face many Quirks in the long run. There are no alternatives otherwise. Garou may be a genius, but he was no miracle worker. This field was too alien and strange for his common sense to digest, potentially costing him years to pioneer and perfect.

"...maybe they threatened Garou's things."

Pulled back into reality by Ghin's smarm, Garou threw his glare in his direction, seeing his sheepish smirk.

'Why you little!' Garou gnashed his teeth before swiftly hiding his frustration from his face when Tsukihana turned to him.

"Ghin, don't say silly things. We all know that Garou isn't like that… unless they found his diary." Tsukihana giggled at the last part.

Garou only grew angrier - his teeth grinding like two rows of ablading whetstone. It only served to make Ghin giggle more as his smile grew wider at sight, and it infuriated Garou like feeding oil to a growing flame.

"[Excuse me, but please allow me to verify your statement. Sir Nighteye, if what I heard is accurate, then… the Hero Hunter has declared Hosu as his territory? Has the government agreed to his demands as well?]" Another reporter asked to clarify the summary of Sir Nighteye's astonishing announcement.

"[As much as it pains me to confess on live television, your worries are founded true. In the face of Garou's overwhelming might, not even Japan's Prime Minister could reject or furtively skirt around Garou's demands, for Garou's claws had sunk into the hearts of our government as well. We are warned that Garou will set his sights on the governing members of Japan should they cross the line Garou carved into the boundary with the shards of our pride.]"

Silence flooded the screen as nary another dared to follow up on the subject. Typically, it was the media's duty to delve further, to reach for the pearly beneath the oyster before them. But not this time. They realized that they had crossed the borders into a new era, a page of history unfolding with no tools to guide their hands through the journey.

At least that was what Garou believed. When he wanted to end the era of heroes, he expected powers that could level cities, move mountains with each punch - mighty foes capable of breaking his bones and knocking him down again and again.

But all it took in this world was piling bodies of heroes, beat up a crippled luminary of this era, and terrorize the streets for almost four months. It was so horrible that he even missed the old geezer after one month of interminable hunts.

'...maybe it is time I find a way back home.' Garou didn't know how he managed to get here in the first place. Wait, he nearly forgot about doing so because the world he was in is so strange that it took his full attention… that and it was oversaturated with heroes.

While he was fond of the home the boy shared, Garou still needed to track down the source of his coming here one way or another - and whether the path home was still open or barred to him.

The question is, where can he start?


	15. Chapter 15: The Demon of Hosu

**For those who followed me, I've had another fic about Garou. Check it out. As for me, I got a job. Yep, I'm a working man... consider me screwed by life. I will try to adapt, anyways. Other than that, here's your feed, you piranhas.**

* * *

Seven more days had slipped by like the clouds swimming through the sky.

The era of fear had taken root, the first bud sprouting a natal sapling, the origin being Hosu.

Tension ran like running water rushing in the sewers, hidden under the surface of normality. The people of Hosu tried to hide their anxieties, but it still leaked through occasional apertures whenever _He_ was brought up.

After all, how could any average human live knowing that a villain ruled their city - a monster that could match All Might, the Symbol of Peace in combat?

Outsiders rarely enter Hosu after the announcement. Garou's presence deterred outsiders from visiting the peaceful town. The heroes, on the other hand, wished to avoid Hosu despite the claims of his ceasefire, but in the end, their duties compelled them to protect the peace.

No hero would want to meet the Hero Hunter, his name engraved in the annals of urban legends shaped by Fear's design. The villains weren't exempt from this, as well.

No sane Hero outside Hosu would ever enter the city of the Hunter Amongst Villains. Villains that valued their health stayed away from the city like a vampire to sunlight. Those that still did enter the town either was because they had no choice, they live there, or they had a hidden agenda worthy enough to take that risk.

Two of those that fell under the third variety rode a train to Hosu on Saturday morn; the withered husk that was the Symbol of Peace and the trembling successor. Toshinori Yagi donned himself in casual clothes, a simple short-sleeved T-Shirt with knee-down baggy pants while Izuku wore a similar set of clothes at the start of fall.

Izuku stared at the window, at his transparent reflection intangibly standing before the running city of Hosu, blankly watching himself shudder as his legs trembled in undiluted fear. He couldn't believe All Might when he told him about his plan - to meet the Hunter Amongst Villains in his den behind the guise of civilians.

But that wasn't the craziest section. The nadir of this was that Izuku would meet Garou face to face before he even entered UA, untrained in combat against someone with years of experience. From what he heard of All Might, Garou stood as the strongest man in Japan by a series of force, above the rest of the heroes and villains of the current era despite being Quirkless…

'Quirkless…' That one word drained all anxiety from his nerves and filled it with rumination - power from a source not related to Quirks… was that possible?

He looked down at his hands. Izuku tried to picture the possibility of himself reaching Garou's level, but he couldn't. A Quirkless gaining strength to stand against Quirks was attainable, as shown with a few vigilante heroes he knew so far, but towards the level of defeating the Symbol of Peace? That was the line of surreality.

But if what Garou claimed was false, how did Eraserhead's Quirk fail to nullify his Quirk? Garou had no Mutant-type Quirk as those kinds can be detected through modern technology. Even a DNA test confirmed Garou's humanity as truth.

"Are you nervous, Midoriya?"

Toshinori's voice asked.

The train was less than half empty, the air more silent than what Izuku knew. There was an energy in the air, an oppressive force weighing on the spirit. Izuku could feel it tangibly as if he was breathing fumes from a bonfire.

"Y-Yeah, All Might…" Izuku quickly bit his tongue before it slipped. Izuku was never good at holding secrets, after all. He nearly spilled what they were planning to do.

They were heading to Hosu to find Garou in person undead substantial risks. The train slowed to a stop, the automatic announcer revealing the stop to Hosu's station. With an audible gulp, the successor of One For All huffed and puffed his anxiety to calm himself the best he could.

Yagi noticed the cause for Izuku's actions at first glance. He placed a hand on his shoulder, "I am scared, too, Midoriya… you are not alone."

Hearing his words, Izuku ceased as he realized he missed an oversight. His idol was probably more frightened by Garou than he was… he remembered why he was here. Izuku looked back to see Yagi's gentle eyes hiding in his skeletal sockets. He could see the same fear he also held within them.

"...alright. Al-I mean, M-Mr. Yagi! I am ready!" Izuku nodded, having found his resolve to help the Symbol of Peace finish his duty as the Symbol of Peace.

Then stepped forth into Hosu, entering the Hunter's Domain.

Garou had amassed another title to his growing collection. Most of the people were also calling him the Demon of Hosu as well; those who dared entered his den would suffer his watchful gaze and risk their health to his fangs. But that did not seem to deter some of the more daring villains.

Not everyone believed that Garou was Quirkless. Those that did mistook it as Garou being defenseless, which lead to villains committing almost suicidal crusades against Garou in the name of vengeance and infamy. They had the notion that Quirklessness equates to defenselessness.

Hence, they openly challenged Garou in Hosu in mass mobs hoping that once they killed the Hero Hunter, they would either avenge their fallen comrades or gain infamy and glory. Whatever the case, all of them at least agreed that ending Garou's reign of terror was an absolute must to reclaim their status quo. Both heroes and villains were sick of living under constant fear, which was probably their first mutual sentiment since the dawn of heroes and villains.

There were two cases of Villains invading Hosu in the interim. All of the participants ended up in hospitals groaning from pain and regret.

However, in each mass confrontation, the villains did not end up as human bricks for Garou's mounds or smearing paint for his gruesome art hobbies, bones broken here and there, and some with twisted limbs while others had shattered ribs. The scene wasn't as macabre, just a miserable sea of groaning misery littered around the streets.

It was the first time Garou did not make another body pile. The citizens did not record any of the events, and they only caught the result since none of Hosu's residents would've thought that anyone would dare challenge him despite his streaks of victories. Not only that…

Izuku and Toshinori arrived at Hosu's center. According to Sir Nighteye's analysis, villains would come here to challenge The Demon of Hosu to deface him as a… fraud villain publically.

There were also other hero hunters angry with Garou, feeling as if he had stolen their spotlight and titles. Nowadays, the word Hero Hunter was a title reserved solely for Garou and him alone as the face.

Either way, they were all villains that desired Garou's death. Now, they were suffering inside a hospital for villains, groaning in regret and misery.

Stuck in the ground was a rustic pipe with a slab of wood tied around the middle. On the piece of wood, it read 'Challengers go here or else' in red marker. The second wave of villains chose the latter option. They suffered more broken bones than the first in the process of turning into human pretzels, remade into scarecrows as warning examples for dismissing Garou's rules. It was shown on the news, even which looked funny to Izuku.

This place was once a crossroads of traffic, where people use to go from place to place on foot or by car. Now it was nearly deserted, claimed as Garou's arena for anyone that still dared to challenge him. Vehicles and pedestrians were rare now supposedly, a minimal shadow compared to times before.

Those that entered his hunting grounds meant that they forfeited their lives to the demon.

When the master-student duo approached the area, loud cries and shouts met their ears in the distance as dim echoes along with a cordon of police, Heroes and SWAT, fencing around a battle in the center.

"Another one?" Yagi uttered. To think they would arrive just when another challenge was issued.

Curiosity burned in Izuku. There was a small crowd of onlookers outside the circle, watching the battle. The group was blocking their view - any aperture they could enter was too narrow to bypass. However, some of them were recording the scene live on their cellphones raised high, chronicling his first massacre on the live cameras. Meaning, Izuku could watch it live through his smartphone.

"All… I mean, Mr. Yagi!" Izuku called Yagi as he took out his smartphone, quickly tapping the screen in search for live footage as the battle raged close to their ears.

Walking to Izuku, Yagi peeked over the boy's shoulder, seeing Izuku searching through google for good live footage. A column of links appeared, some with images below the lines. Izuku picked the most viable link, tapping the touch screen as the video expanded until it filled the entire screen.

"[Garou-ugh!?]"

"[How can you be Quirkle-Agh!?]"

"[Die-abafh!?]"

The Hero Hunter was on the screen. In his hands were two of the villains that charged at him, each leaking blood from their orifices with their faces stuck in a pained rictus. The third laid under his shoe, his face digging a hole to console his defeated form.

However, the most perplexing feature of the Hero Hunter was his costume.

"...Garou…" Toshinori only narrowed at the screen. It was the first time he saw Garou wearing a costume to hide his identity. It contradicted him since it did not compliment his brazen personality, a free soul that burned with enough confidence to challenge the world. He could not understand what changed for him to resort to disguising himself.

His new attire did not even show a single ounce of skin. Billowing behind was a black robe, mottled with holes tearing his fabric. Black leather gloves covered his hands, freshly caked in the blood of his vict-er, opponents. His pants were different, no longer the same pale baggy pants like before, replaced by tight, grey jeans hugging his legs above his red sneakers. Most of all, on his face, was a black demonic mask, an Oni-like mask with red eyes gazing at the world for the man behind it.

Suffice to say, Yagi found this costume a bit strange, almost as if he scrounged them from random assortments he could purchase from Mustafa's Mall, but, overall, it harmonized with his motif - to inspire fear into the hearts of his enemies, both the heroes and the villains.

More villains surrounded the Hero Hunter, some deterred by his impressive performance while others still burned with the desire to end him. They conveyed their hate for Garou through their scowls, some tightening their grip on their knives and machetes while others tightened their fingers around their guns. Garou stood unflinching, unmoving as if daring his challengers to make the next move.

"Whoooooaaaa, All-I mean, M-Mr. Yagi, he looks kind of cool." Izuku admitted, despite that the man would be his enemy one day.

'He does look good…' Toshinori had already sensed a certain charisma hidden inside Garou. During the battle, there was a regal feel to his aura even within the fear-inducing ambiance he spread.

The other villains sprung into action, yells, and curses shouting at Garou and reinvigorating morale as they fired Quirks and modern arms at the Quirkless man. Garou vanished from the screen, as the sounds of fist silencing the booming guns alongside those of bullets hitting the pavement or the riot shields cordoning the area. Soon, the sound of his fist smacking flesh and tearing metal rattled in the background, then roared up to that of orchestrated screams.

However, a droning noise was approaching above them.

"-aaaaAAAWAAAH!"

Something fell, splatting. It sounded like a bird that dropped from the sky, but louder. It interrupted both master and apprentice, drawing them away from the recording phone. Beside, Toshinori was a random villain splayed on the floor. Crimson stained his black leather jacket, limbs twitching from pain as hoarse pleads whispered from his lips.

In stunned silence, they stared at the fallen villain while, amidst the chorus, more singers left the choir, thrown about as three more flew over the cordon screaming, one crashing into a light pole, another through a window bleeding across a great distance, and the third falling atop of the villain besides the master-student duo in a two-person pile.

Before they could even comment on the sight of raining villains, the crowd around them clamored as they screamed and pointed at the sight of a gigantified villain rising from the crowd.

"Graaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

The roar wrestled both of their attention away from their phone as they turned to the giant villain. He was large, orange bristles shrouding his hide like fur, beige hands larger than water towers and his face more ape-like than man. Overall, he looked like a giant sasquatch from America if Izuku should compare, its size an estimate of forty meters at best.

"Garouuu! I don't care what the Villains say, I refuse to accept a hoax to be the face of Villainy!" The giant roared, glaring down at the one hidden behind the onlookers from Izuku's point of view.

He knew that the giant was staring at the Hero Hunter, but he still couldn't see him through the others in the confrontation. The giant knelt, threw his fist with all his might, and erupted a cloud of dust in the air. However, something went wrong.

A shadowy blur zoomed up the giant's arm like a flash of flickering shadow, leaving a trail of bruises with each step, but Izuku only caught a blurry glimpse. He could only see the trail of concave injuries running behind Garou, running to the giant's head from his knuckles. When Garou reached the head, the giant's cheek collapsed inward. The concurrently overlapping sound of Garou's assault and the sight of the cheek collapsing in such a brutal fashion, the way his lips and teeth dug into the giant's skull was wincing for the audience - from the spectators surrounding the area to the viewers online.

The white of the giant's eyes replaced every other color, blood trickled, and teeth fell from his mouth. Above, Garou was seen standing atop the head; both arms pulled up with his fists aimed below. Garou dropped and slammed his fists into the skull. The result of such minimal movement defied Izuku's expectation when the giant's head crashed into the street, knocked down so hard that the concrete cracked, spreading out meters, as the rest of his body below his neck knock flailed up until the toes saw the sky.

Izuku and Toshinori Yagi dropped their jaws awestruck by Garou's performance. Toshinori turned to Izuku, seeing him awkwardly raise a shaking finger at the fallen giant when the rest of the body reached the land to join its head.

Toshinori had no words to console the boy.

"Midoriya-san. What do you see from this battle?" Toshinori couldn't better stress the danger of Garou other than showing Izuku the consequence of challenging him. There was no guarantee that Izuku could win if All Might couldn't as well.

"I-I-I-I…" Izuku stammered, unable to word a proper response. He was still shaken by Garou slaying the giant with minimal effort.

"...Izuku." Toshinari referred him by his first name this time. "When I first met him, all I saw was a man. The second time, I saw Evil, but I stood corrected afterward."

His narration aroused Izuku's curiosity. He had never heard of All Might revising his opinion of a villain before.

"W-What do you see after the second time?"

Toshinori paused momentarily in thought, his blue eyes wandering afar further than what was in front of him, "I saw Fear when he defeated me. When I was at my limits, I was at his mercy."

Toshinori continued as he reminisced the time at the Dagoba Beach, his tender arm pulsing in pain from memory, "But when he spared me, I found hope."

The word 'hope' failed to click on the young apprentice. Izuku reviewed his memory of all the times he read or heard about Garou, and there was not a single hint of hope he could see in any of them.

"Eh?"

Toshinori chuckled in response; his laugh directed more at himself than the boy, "Hahahaha, yes, I know. Strange, isn't it? Do you want to know what kind of hope I saw?"

While the screams and audible pain of the villains resounded in the background, Izuku slowly nodded with fanboy-ish curiosity.

"Well, Midoriya, if I have to put it into words…" Toshinori chuckled as he ignored the cries for mercy in the background, "I would say… the hope of him changing for the better… hahaha. It is quite funny for me to talk about someone like that, but it is the truth. There is a goodness in him that cannot be put into words, but I know I saw it. Do you find it strange, Midoriya?"

Izuku pondered, considering All Might's statement. If there was goodness in Garou, then there must be signs he had missed. If Izuku recalled to the best of his memory, straining all the brain muscles at his disposal with effort, then he remembered that Garou had…

"Wait… he didn't kill anyone, didn't he?" Izuku asked, starting to understand the validity of All Might's conjecture.

"Hahaha, yes. Not many recalled that, but I've been keeping an eye on his 'exploits' since then. Although when I heard how Garou let the police negotiate with him, I was pleasantly surprised." Toshinori snickered when Gran Torino told him the story, the tragic beginning, and the comical end. He did feel sorry for Eraserhead, though.

"Wait, how did the police manage to overcome him?" Izuku asked.

Toshinori darted his head left and right before he leaned forward and cupped his mouth, and he whispered the summary of the ending of the manhunt. With excited eyes, Izuku listened, his ear devouring each and every word that came from All Might's mouth. When he learned of the cause of Garou's retreat, Izuku nearly spluttered in laughter, forced to cover his mouth to keep it in.

"Pfffffff, r-really?" Izuku whispered, trying his best not to let his reaction spill through his teary eyes and grinning rictus.

"Ahahahaha! It is true!" Toshinori laughed. Not with his All Might laugh, but his weaker disguised laugh.

Izuku could no longer hold it in. The Symbol of Fear that terrorized hero and villain societies for months retreated because of the Police Force taking his groceries hostage? It was the first time he had ever heard of a villain valuing food over money and wealth; it painted Garou under a more humanizing light than he realized. Heck, Izuku thought that Garou was an actual monster before he learned of this.

Izuku and Toshinori chuckled as they checked the current state of the slaughter through the phone. It could no longer be called a battle at his point. On the screen was Garou sitting atop the back of the giant, legs crossed into a pretzel with his back slightly lurching forward. He sat there almost as if waiting for more arriving victims to slake his thirst for blood and suffering.

Surrounding the Quirkless Hunter, guns laid on the pavement, torn apart into components arranged amidst the bodies within the splattered pool of crimson. The Demon of Hosu stood victorious over the invaders.

"So… what should we do now?" Izuku asked his mentor, asking how they would approach the monster without sharing the litters' fates.

Toshinori stared at Izuku in silence.

"...uhhh, M-Mr. Yagi? How do you plan to talk to him?" Izuku asked with growing concern. Did All Might come here without a plan? The way he did not respond did not help Izuku quell his growing fears.

"I… might have to take a rain check on that for a moment."

* * *

The train ride was long and arduous, but she had finally arrived at the scene. Outside, she stepped through the borders of dangerous territory, but unlike fear, confidence bubbled inside her. For Mt Lady, the promising heroine had arrived at the scene to save the world from the evil clutches of the Hero Hunter.

She exited the train in her hero attire, smiling as smelled the air of evil in the city.

"Look out, Hosu. There's a new hero in town, and I am here to save you."

On her left and right, she could see civilians whispering to each other. With her perked ears, both expanding and contracting with interest, wanted to hear the opinion of her soon-to-be adoring fans.

"Oi, isn't she a hero?"

"A hero actually came."

"I feel so sorry for her."

"Must be a rookie. She'll end her career before she knows it."

Their negative comments caromed her dense skull. She smiled, knowing that their opinions would flip upside-down once she defeats the Quirkless Hero Hunter. She couldn't see why anyone would lose to a Quirkless guy. He must have some crazy tech or something helping him.

When Sir Nighteye declared that All Might tied against the Hero Hunter, she immediately dismissed it as a coverup. Throughout the history of Earth, there was no such thing as a super-strong Quirkless. Outstanding Quirkless individuals that could match the average hero like that vigilante hero was one thing, but someone that could match the Symbol of Peace in close combat?

Fat chance.

Mt Lady grinned haughtily, imagining her swift victory over the tiny man. Her plan was to surprise the Hero Hunter while his guard was down by turning giant, squish or kick the smaller man out of Hosu, and get all the credit she deserved. All of the media would speak of Mt Lady for generations to come, and it lit her heart aflutter.

It was time to face the 'Demon of Hosu' or whatever titles that Garou had so far. If she was honest, she thought all of those titles were overrated. Sure, she admitted that his hunts were… violent, especially during his beginning. It was the first time despair struck her heart when she saw that a hero curl up into a ball and cradle back and forth on live television before. She heard that the Hero was going through therapy by this day. He might return to the Hero business with the help of his friends and family.

However, these days the fear just… died down. The Hero Hunter distributed most of his brutality towards the villain side for some reason. Whatever the case, the Hero Hunter was costing the heroes of their jobs as well when apprehending villains. She still couldn't forgive Garou for cleaning Dagoba of villains for her to defeat herself. Because of him, she couldn't even stand out anymore.

And for that, Mt Lady would pay Garou back in spades once she gets over there and deliver him a piece of her mind. Just thinking about it was enough for her to gnash her teeth. She swore that the Hero Hunter would rue the day he first hunted heroes.

Stomping over to the landmark that the heroes dubbed the 'Hero's Deathtrap,' she heard sounds of a battle in the distance, right behind the line of onlookers and police. She could see the villains hauled off into the ambulances en masse. Was another battle taking place?

Good! They would tire him out enough for her to deal the finishing blow! She must get there before Garou decided to leave! With a grin that most would consider filled with greed, Mt Lady rushed past the civilians across the light gray sidewalk until she reached her destination.

"E-Eh? Hey, isn't that Mt Lady?" A kid with dark, moss-green hair standing next to a blonde, withered skeleton pointed at Mt Lady from the sideline.

"Eh?" The withered skeleton gawped upon seeing her entry.

"Stand aside, citizens! For I, Mt Lady is here to save the day!" Mt Lady declared with a confident pose, plagiarized from All Might himself.

"""Eh?"""

The citizens, cops, and ambulance crews turned to the heroine with absolute shock written on their faces. Ignoring them, Mt Lady peered over to the Hero Hunter, sitting atop of a mutant hairy man around a field of corpses. He didn't look so tough. None of them were of any notice.

"Waitwaitwaitwaitwaitwait!" The boy with dark green hair immediately interposed between her and her quarry with flailing arms.

"Don't go in there! You'll be torn to shreds like them!" The boy shouted, pointing at the bodies lying around the assailant.

Mt Lady looked at the victims behind the fenced line. They were all small people, around normal-sized victims, and, upon sizing Garou up, he looked no more prominent than the rest of them.

"Hah! So? I doubt Garou had faced a Gigantification hero!"

The boy looked flabbergasted. Mt Lady did not know why, but he threw his head to the arena. For some reason, he was looking at the tiny sasquatch guy Garou was using as his seat cushion.

The average-sized orange furry was face-planting the solid concrete in which his blood filled. Mt Lady did not know why the boy was warning her about a villain that only knew how to pick on those his size. It was time for him to face someone like her.

"W-Wait-"

Mt Lady did not care to hear about the boy's warnings. She walked past him and the rest of the civilians that tried to stop her along the way.

Several cops tried to block her path with his body, warning her about being butchered or something, but Mt Lady could not imagine Garou cutting her up like that. Besides, she could not believe that the Hero Hunter could take on All Might hand to hand and walk away scot-free.

Without delay, she used her Quirk and towered over the rest. Treading over the civilians and otherwise, she crossed the borders. With smiling confidence, she entered the den of the Demon and declared her name before the scourge of Herokind.

"Garou!" Mt Lady declared. "I, Mt Lady, will end your tyranny this day!"

The Demon wordlessly looked up at her from his human seat, the dark eyes of his mask staring into the giant woman's eyes. The way the Hero Hunter looked at Mt Lady was annoying. Wait, he looked away. He just returned to his… meditation thing. Was he ignoring her?

"Oi! Hero Hunter! You deaf?! I am calling you out!" Mt Lady shouted as Garou continued his meditating. The masked villain did not give her a second glance.

"H-hey!" Turning around, Mt Lady saw a blonde, emaciated man with blue eyes surrounded by shaded sclera shouted at her. "M-Mt Lady! Whatever reason you have for coming here, turn back before it's-ackogf?!"

My Lady flinched when the man started to spew blood on the streets. The sight of the skinny man puking blood instead of vomit was concerning, but she had a villain to pound tender enough for the others to ferry to Tartarus. She did not know why the heroes fell to a Quirkless man, but she wouldn't be a hero if she cowered in fear like the rest of them.

"If you're going to ignore me, then I'll just do this!"

Approaching the cocky Hero Hunter, Mt Lady knelt one leg and swung a gigantic-sized right hook at the smaller man. Mt Lady had to be careful to not crush the villains under her foot, so she had to attack him with precision.

When her fist carved through the wind resistance and reached the enemy of all heroes, Mt Lady shouted as her fist connected, "Hah! I got you!"

She pulled back her arm with a smile, but when she did, she caught sight of a robed figure standing on her knuckles. Mt Lady's smile froze when her eyes laid upon the Hero Hunter… the Hero Hunter… The Hero Hunter was standing on her fist and staring at her from behind the mask. Mt Lady was confused.

"Hm?" Mt Lady was even more confused. She was sweating a downpour from her pores as she was trying to understand why wasn't the man smacked into some building or something instead of standing on her knuckle while looking cool.

"Um…" Mt Lady's smile trembled when the Hero Hunter raised his fist without a word. "Can't we just let this go and-"

Interrupting her, a painful ripple smashed her right cheek, smacking her sight of the world into an obscure blur. Following that, a sudden force seized her horns and dragged her down until her head impacted something hard. The last sound she heard before blacking out was the fading cries of the citizens behind her.

She didn't know what had happened. When she woke up, she blinked as she was met with a bright glare of the ceiling light hanging above her. Mt Lady blinked.

What just happened? She tried to pick herself up, but she winced from the pain stinging her face. Confused, she touched the areas, retracting her hand once she found that her right face was swollen, but not without feeling some cloth bandaging it. When she explored the rest of her beautiful face, she found a bulging bump on her head wrapped in bandages judging by the coarse fabric tied around her protrusion.

"So the Hero Hunter got you too, huh?"

She turned her head to the voice, seeing a bandaged mummy beside her. There was a gap for his eyes to see through, allowing him the comfort of sight. Wait, wasn't he Eraserhead? No, she remembered! She had challenged him and… the last thing she recalled was...

"Wait."

She put two and two together. She couldn't believe it. How the hell did the Hero Hunter send her here?!


	16. Chapter 16: Hunter Meets Hero

The screen replayed Mt. Lady's humiliation. Garou stood on her fist, lasing her with menacing eyes. The Hero Hunter smacked her cheek, tilting her chin sinistrally after concaving her face. Garou seized one of her horns midairs and, channeling his weight, pulled her down, headfirst overhead his descent, and he slammed her skull deep into the pavement.

Mt Lady was watching the replay from her phone with a hung jaw, her mind refusing to digest the events her lead her bedridden in a hospital with all the other heroes. She did not know whether she should be scared or angry. She looked so stupid on the screen, drooling like an idiot as Garou walked away without giving her a second glance. How in the world was that guy Quirkless? That was definitely a Quirk right there!

"So, how was your first taste of his famous beatings?" Eraserhead spoke up beside her bed.

"Shut it, mummy! At least I'm getting out tomorrow!" She was not happy. She felt as if Garou took away her pride, and she wanted it back.

"You're quite lucky, though." Kamui woods spoke up, athwart her. His bandages only covered his face and abdomen while his right hand was casted.

"Lucky? How is losing to a 'Quirkless' guy on live cameras even lucky!? Uuuuggghhh, it's even worse when they sent me to the hall of losers…"

My Lady was fuming. Her chance to fame was even further from her reach behind a wall of shame.

"You talk big for a rookie who lost on the screen," Eraserhead commented.

"Hey, you guys told me He's Quirkless. How is that guy not Quirkless? Someone that packs a punch like that definitely has a quirk, which, by the way, thanks for lying to my face," she sniped.

"You're not the only ones with that thought, Mount Lady," Kamui rebuked with sternness.

"Are you sure it isn't because that guy's eyes aren't working, right?" Mt lady asked with brazen crass.

"Aizawa's Quirk did function." A familiar voice spoke from behind Eraserhead, from the next bed past Eraserhead.

"Hm?" Mt Lady knew this voice.

Peering over his shoulder, she spotted the battered form of the number two hero - the bandaged form of Endeavour. She saw that he was looking downcast. The fiery gaze that burned before seemed… dim. But she could see some light still flickering.

"Holy crap, it's you!" Mt Lady asked, pointing at the sullen hero. She didn't know that Endeavour was still in the same hospital as her. Heck, then all of the Manhunt Team was here.

"Yeah… it is." Endeavour sounded drained, unlike his more vigorous self. "Our being here is from a different… hubris. Our plan relied on Eraserhead's performance as our crux, but our efforts only failed - and the realization that the threat out there was more than he seemed."

His response did not match what Mt Lady knew of him by far. He sounded fatigued, drained of his passion. Whatever motivated Endeavour here seemed to be in disarray, his eyes lacking focus and wandering in a search for his missing flame.

"I… Okay. Well…" Mt Lady turned away, facing forward at Kamui across her.

"He's quite shaken that he lost, even more so when he heard that Garou's equal to All Might," Eraserhead pointed out.

Endeavour didn't retort to Eraserhead's remark.

"Oh…" Mt Lady turned to him, grasping the chance to escape the awkwardness. "What'd Garou do to him to end up here?"

Eraserhead, the mummy, glanced at Endeavour for a second before returning to Mt Lady.

"He got blasted in his ribs, multiple fractures, and heavy contusions. We couldn't even stop him from getting knocked out of the ring before he turned his fangs at us," Eraserhead sighed. "And it ended how you see. We are not exactly proud of it either, so don't take Garou's Quirklessness for granted next time."

"Huh." Mt Lady wasn't sure what to say.

She came to Garou under that mindset, thinking that Garou was powerless since he had no Quirk. After speaking with the other heroes, Mt Lady thought she needed to update her current know-how of the Quirkless, at least for those sharing Garou's unique case.

"So… what're you guys gonna do after you get out?"

* * *

Meanwhile, a man was eating at a noodle stall streets away from Garou's arena for the challengers. His hair soaked in scarlet, his right eye drank blood, and his face looked as if it endured the worst life could throw at him, hardened from years of battle. The man stood behind the wooden counter, middle-aged and donned in a standard white chef uniform. He placed down another serving of Tempura for the scary man, the hot steaming plate joining its brethren in wait for the monster to dine while he continued slurping his noodles from the warm, steaming bowl.

"Hah, regular or not, I still won't forgive you for scaring away the customers." The man said, speaking from his shrimp mouth.

The regular looked up, staring at the chef's shrimp head. The owner of the outdoor noodle stall had a shrimp for a head while the rest of his body was humanoid. His eyes could protrude out of their sockets like worms and can turn his gaze without moving his neck. He had the eyes of a mantle shrimp, a crustacean with peerless perceptive abilities.

"Sorry for troubling you, Ebiken," Garou said with his mouth full, chewing the noodles stuffed in his cheeks. "But they'll come back. Don't worry."

"Your 'plan' to attract the others back with 'public stunts' in town does not inspire confidence." Ebiken Shoshi, the owner of the stall, poured Garou a glass of cola while his eyes gazed at the lack of traffic flow. Before, the populace was as low as it could be, but now it was scarce.

Garou took the glass of cola and chugged it down, "Ahhhh."

Cola was always his favorite refreshment.

"Give it time," Garou threw shrimp tempura into his teeth, chewing audibly.

"Remind me again why I shouldn't ban you from coming here, Garou?" Ebiken asked.

"I butchered the villains that harassed you?" Garou reminded Ebiken of how he bloodied four gangsters robbing his cash register when he made his first villain pile in Hosu.

"You also reduced my usual customers by half with that stunt." Ebiken sighed as he finished cooking another set of noodles for the Demon of Hosu.

Life had taken a quiet, morbid turn for the simple man and the rest of the kind people. Now they had to struggle to get by thanks to the man dining in his stall. He wanted to hold him accountable, but he couldn't bring himself to do so. The man wasn't a villain like the rest, and Ebiken did not want to test his luck. Garou had made his mark on Hosu, and there was nothing a simple civilian or the heroes could do about it.

In the meanwhile, someone else entered through the curtains, sitting beside Garou two seats away.

"Welcome! What kind I…" Ebiken greeted the newcomer as he slowly cut himself off. His shrimp eyes popped out of his sockets, literally, when he saw the man's face.

"I would like one of whatever he is having." The man pointed at the assortment of dishes in front of the Hero Hunter.

The customer's smile was warm and friendly, but his identity spoke otherwise, at least to Ebiken. The regular chef knew who the customer was.

"Oh… I…" Ebiken flicked his sight to Garou, seeing that he stopped his eating to peek at the presence of the Hero, Ingenium, sitting at his table with strings of unfinished ramen still dangling from his lips.

It was the worst combination at the worst time, and the Hero Hunter unmasked and a hero in casual attire sitting next to each at _his_ stall. The shrimp-headed chef could see his humble stand decimated by the conflict that would spark in one second as Ingenium's body landed beside him in the next. Tears streamed from Ebiken's black, protruding eyes as he bid his shop farewell.

Garou glared at the man, his eyes coruscating with spite, "Youuuuuuuuu."

"Hahaha. Hello, again. You're quite a big eater, aren't you?" Tensei Iida asked.

"If you're here to gloat, I will send you back in the hospital. In the morgue." Garou threatened as bulging veins squirmed under his skin.

Tensei only chuckled, "Hahahaha, well, your secret is safe with us. Besides, I'm not here to fight. Oh, chef, my order?"

Ebiken snapped out of his teary depression for a moment. His stall was still standing… but for how long?

"Please don't break my stall. I'm begging you." Ebiken pleaded with teary shrimp eyes.

"I'm not here to fight, and he would knock me out before I can raise a fist anyways," Tensei assured, unfazed by Garou's laser-like gaze.

Ebiken hoped so; he returned to the grill, preparing the order with a spatula and sizzling oil, and started to grill the picked ingredients, eel, flour, and octopus for takoyaki and unagi, for the friendly neighborhood hero. A tense silence stood between Hero and Hunter. Tensei looked so casual sitting next to the man that sent him and his self-esteem to the hospital that it was souring the atmosphere.

Garou slurped the rest of his dangling noodles and gulped before speaking first, "Skip the long talk and get to the point. Why are you here?"

"Ahahaha. Well," Tensei rubbed the back of his head, "I just want to talk. Heck, I'm probably the first hero talking this casually with the Hero Hunter now that I think about it."

Garou could not deny that.

"Just small talk? No declaration for a rematch or heroic speeches to send me to jail?" Garou egged Ingenium for a more personal response. He did incur Tensei's smile to straighten.

"...a part of me does want to redeem myself from that day," Tensei admitted solemnly.

"What's stopping you? Crippling shame?" Garou scoffed.

Tensei's smile returned upon hearing Garou's poking his ego for conflict, "You're quite strange compared to the rest of the villains, you know? Usually, the villains would either run away or fight back."

"So, you do want that fight?" Garou asked, hopefully.

"Hahaha, no, no. I'm not reckless enough to throw away my entire health… besides, I just want to ask some questions."

"I won't apologize for beating you up." Garou instantly answered with a determined mien, holding nary an atom of regret for his actions.

"Hahahahahaha!" Tensei laughed heartily this time. "No, no! Not that… well, it would make me feel better if you did."

"I will never apologize for beating up every hero I fight." Garou planted his standing firmly in that regard.

"I wouldn't expect you to," Tensei replied as Ebiken served him a plate of steaming, round takoyaki, and a plate of smoking unagi. "Thanks."

Tensei took the single-use chopsticks from a cup near him as he broke off the two sticks after taking it out from the paper wrap, digging into his meal as he placed a takoyaki in his mouth. In one crunch, the flavor spilled into Tensei's mouth, the sauce and taste flowing like a river breaking the dam.

"Mmmm," Tensei responded positively to the takoyaki. "It's good."

Garou watched as the hero continued eating his meal. He kept staring at the strange hero that walked up to him for a moment, deeming the hero weird before resuming his meal, drinking the noodles from his bowl, and devouring the other plates.

Midway, finishing half of his takoyaki, Tensei stopped and turned to Garou, "I was wondering where you got that mask. It looks quite nice."

Garou stopped as well, his cheeks full of chewed okonomiyaki, "So?"

"If you ask me, I never thought I would see you in a costume given your… daring habits so far. Was Kenji's threat that bad?" Tensei smirked when he heard about the Police Force's miraculous stunt.

"I will make you eat your chopsticks." Garou threatened.

"Sorry, sorry. My Quirk doesn't let me digest something this hard," Tensei joked as he pointed at the engine tubes sticking back of his elbows. "By the way, there's something I want to ask… are you Quirkless as you said?"

Garou did not give him a second glance as he responded, "Yeah. It's not that hard to believe."

"I'm pretty sure that everyone I know would disagree with that statement," Tensei retorted. "But what I want to know is, how did you get so strong without a Quirk in the first place?"

"I trained hard," Garou said as if it was a natural response.

The path Garou reached could never amount from training. Tensei Iida and Ebiken both knew this very well. While there were Quirkless individuals with abilities that would equal to those with Quirks, there was no case of a Quirkless that could reach the level of someone like All Might. The common sense in Tensei quickly denied Garou's response as truth, but his experience with Garou in direct combat days instilled doubts otherwise. So the best word Tensei could muster was two simple words.

"I see." Tensei looked downcast, fingers clenching into his palms. "Have you ever idolized heroes before?"

Garou paused. He finished two-thirds of his meal as Ebiken took his finished bowls and plates silently. There was a somber air around the friendly neighborhood hero, an anchor weighing him down inside, and the feeling was palpable.

"…once," Garou admitted. Usually, he would answer with his fist to every hero's face should they talk, but this world had fed him more than enough heroes to spare his patience for this one. That and he wouldn't hunt the same hero twice.

"Hahaha, of course. There isn't a person out there that doesn't idolize heroes at one point. What do you think about All Might?"

Tensei touched a particular subject, a subject that would arouse a peculiar response.

"He's overrated," Garou responded with a tinge of spite. "The bag of muscles is a joke. His techniques are horrendous; the way he presents himself makes me want to gut him, and how everyone seems to idolize him as a religious figure is creepy. I don't know what people see in him."

Tensei gave Garou a small smile, "So you did meet him?"

So the hero asked that to confirm Garou's encounter with All Might.

"You can say that. I will admit he can put a fight at least, but I will not forgive his fighting style."

"Hahaha. Even though you copied his techniques?" Tensei pointed out. He sounded as if he didn't mind that Garou fired a shockwave at him at that time.

" _Reformed_. Like hell, I'll waste so much energy just to show off. He would've beaten me if he did sharpen his techniques as I did." Garou did not include the fact that All Might had his guts messed up. He had no incentive to keep All Might's secret, but he did. Not because of a whim, but because he wished to deface him when All Might was at his peak. Otherwise, it'll leave a bad taste in his mouth.

"I can see that." Tensei smiled somewhat. He looked as if a weight left his chest after talking with Garou.

"My little brother is going to apply for UA next April."

Garou's last tempura was just in his mouth when he heard a word that he could not register for a second. It sounded familiar though… where did he hear it-ah, yes, the boy. Ghin ranted all he knew about All Might to Garou.

"The hack school that All Might went to?" Garou was never fond of the idea of societal schools designed for the sole purpose of raising heroes from the young. Integrating Heroes as a profession was one thing, but cultivating them from young? He refused to tolerate that. Schools like that would usually force-feed societal bias to teenagers.

"Did you apply for a Hero School before?" Tensei asked, expecting Garou's derision for UA.

"Like hell. I prefer training in a dojo over a seedy school any day," Garou vehemently rejected.

"Hah. This may be our first time talking, but I feel like we're close acquaintances already."

Tensei did not even expect the Hero Hunter to be this amiable to others outside combat. It would explain why the stall chef was serving the Demon of Hosu with casual closeness.

"You want another beating?" Garou flashed a bulging vein and thrown a sidelong glare.

"Hahaha, no, no. One time is enough, thank you."

The atmosphere warmed. Ebiken watched whenever he could with interest, seeing Garou show a side he would usually hide behind a mask to a hero he defeated without care. It was a rare moment that the humble chef was seeing, something that would garner millions of views online if someone recorded it. But, knowing Garou, it would result in him slaughtering the one responsible for the recording if it gets out.

"Besides… I am kinda worried about my brother." Tensei looked down at his empty plate in rumination.

"Why? Afraid he won't get in?" Garou joked.

"No. I'm afraid of what he'll do if the school accepts him…" Tensei's insinuation did not fall on deaf ears. "After all, he wants to become a hero - the kind of hero that is there for the people in their time of need, though that was before you showed up and shook the Hero world with your hands."

Both pairs of eyes fell on the subject in question. Said subject slowly bit into the tempura held in his chopsticks, chewing it in silent awkwardness.

Garou stared at Tensei with his mouth still chewing, ignoring the additional pair of protruding eyes bearing down on him from behind the stall, "I won't apologize."

Tensei stared at Garou for a moment before he sighed in defeat, "I don't expect you to… but what about you? You've won. You beat most of the strongest heroes in Japan, became Japan's symbol of fear, but you don't seem to care much about your accomplishments. You've done something all villains dreamed of, but you don't seem to think much of it."

"You call this hell an 'accomplishment?'" Garou retorted as he looked at Tensei incredulously. "All of the heroes I faced are weak losers, like one of those mass-produced, everyday merchandise in stores. Your 'best' is nothing more than a glorified waste of meat, and I still can't believe how easy it is to cull your excuses of heroes to this point. That isn't an accomplishment. That is a disappointment. Would you feel accomplished when everything you did was so easy it's laughable? That's how I feel right now."

His disappointment was apparent like a kid finding his idol got involved in a scandal, his ideals betrayed, and tossed into the trash.

"A hero that isn't stronger than his ideals isn't a hero at all. You are weak. All of you. In and out. Your quirks are nothing more than crutches carrying you to where you are now, and it has gotten so bad to where all of you forget what it really takes to carry that title," Garou chastised.

His rebuke drove the hero and chef into silence. Tensei looked at Garou, surprised, not expecting him to carry such a sharp image of his ideal within him. It should be a mixed feeling, but hearing Garou's spoken models was… refreshing to Tensei.

"Hahahahaha." Tensei laughed again, smiling more extensive than before. "You sure know how to keep surprising others."

Taking out his wallet, Tensei took his money from pocket and placed down his dollar-yen bills.

"Thank you, Sir." Ebiken nodded as he took the money and gave Tensei his change.

"It was nice talking to you. Though I do hope that one day, we can talk as acquaintances, not hero and Hunter." As Tensei turned around to leave, Garou called out from behind.

"You're not gonna beg me to spare your brother?" Garou asked bluntly.

The way he just stood there in silence already answered Garou's question. A hero doesn't beg unless they hit their lowest. Tensei almost seemed to reach that low point judging how his hands tremble with conflict.

"...you never listen to your victims in your hunts. Should this be any different?" Tensei asked hoarsely.

"True," Garou rolled his eyes. "But pass him a warning for me." Garou gave Tensei his message to Tenya, a glimpse of what the young hero-to-be shall face if he chose his path. "Don't come into the monster's den without knowing what's inside. The monster will not spare the foolish that walks in aware."

Tensei stood in a tense, awkward pause, taking in Garou's warning. He pictured how Tenya would react if he passed on Garou's message. He had a good idea of Tenya's response to the letter.

"...I never took you for a villain that would take his time with a hero like this, Garou."

"Why should I waste my time with children? I hunt heroes and otherwise, but not people." Garou rolled his eyes at the apparent insinuation.

"…I don't know about that." Tensei muttered to himself.

He walked away and left Garou alone with the silent chef. The shrimp human turned to Garou and then forked his hand out.

"That'll cost you around twenty-five thousand yen."

The chef would not let Garo leave without getting paid. Garou flicked his eyes back to the shrimp man, and the human hand laid out supine without the worry of the customer breaking it. His absence of concern was because he did perform business with Garou frequently, and Garou took out his wallet and gave Ebiken his money for his feast of a meal.

"Thanks, Shrimp."

"Don't call me that." Ebiken blandly stared at Garou when he left his stall.

* * *

The Lone Hunter wandered the streets, casually patrolling the quiet town. He did not pay any mind to the flickering glances thrown his way, not caring if the other civilians knew of his identity. They were either witnesses or someone Garou saved after he cleansed Hosu of the remaining villain elements. Whether they report his identification or not, he was sure that the media wouldn't dare reveal him to the world since he had a lot of leeways. After all, holding the truth that he defeated the Symbol of Peace hostage was a powerful card in this fragile society, but it would suck if the Landlord caught wind of his identity.

In his idleness, Garou let his mind wander to the boy, reviewing his growth so far.

His version of the Water Stream Rock Smashing fist was more… primal compared to Garou's. There was a lot of emotion in his strikes, almost like Ghin was venting more than fighting. The problem with his way of fighting was that it usually consumed more energy than usual, but it wouldn't matter since the boy's stamina was improving at a surprising rate.

Not only that, the boy's control over his body was frighteningly attuned. His reflexes and senses were at a level where he could react to attacks outside his range of vision. Garou was growing proud of the boy while his disappointment in the heroes grew. He really hoped that they could surprise him… well, surprise him more than they did. The people with Quirks around him was surprising enough. There was even a kid with the head of an eel holding hands with eel-headed parents, and Garou could not take his eyes off them until they disappeared around a turn in the corner of the street. The only value in Quirks so far were civilian diversity to his eyes, adding more colors to the polychromatic variety of what life could bring.

When Garou cleared the underbelly of Hosu, he barely met resistance, all of the villains escaped the area after the media declared Hosu as his personal territory. As for spies, they were hard to track, but he did catch one, some man cloaked in a shroud of fedoras.

But the man was peculiar, stating his visit was to contact him. His coming here was to deliver an invitation, one similar to that of Phoenixman's, only this time it's from a shadowy organization called the Union. He did not know what the Union was, but they were offering their services to the Hero Hunter, willing to provide illegal costumes and equipment to any who wish to do good or evil. It turned out that they even offered their services to vigilantes once upon a time, a name for illegal heroes unrecognized by national law.

Once upon a time, the Vigilantes confronted Garou during his body-piling spree. They joined the body pile, unnoticed by the public nor the media. Legal heroes or not, Garou did not differentiate, anyone that bore the mantle of hero will fall regardless. He did respect their resolve to carry out their dreams against the law, though. Too bad the hero system was rigged against them, another reason to continue his hunt.

As for the Union worker, Garou released him. The Union only sell costumes to villain kind. Garou did not want to try their product since the Aunt would cause quite a commotion, so he stole a mask from one of the villains. The boy made a very great suggestion, pilfering costumes from the fallen villains for himself. Garou made a slight habit of taking their weapons as well, though he made sure to hide them from the eyes of the Landlord.

He cursed the hierarchy they placed. Just because they owned some land… in any case, he needed to take care of two problems. Around a corner, Garou entered an alleyway, entering the shadows of the two paths. Once out of sight, he jumped up from wall to wall until he reached the roof, looking down on the two stalkers following ever since he left Ebiken's stall.

He could never forget the walking, talking skeleton spouting gouts of blood at random. His condition was called hemoptysis upon researching the internet, a convenient tool it was. The recollection of his days spent learning through the web both enlightened and embarrassed the Hero Hunter, from learning the world's forgotten martial arts like Baji Quan, Tai Chi, Wing Chun, and Taekwondo, and him becoming a part-time shut-in. The boy shared a lot of his interests with the Hero Hunter, and playing with the boy was enjoyable.

The moss-haired boy next to the skeleton was unknown, however. Garou had never met him, but he then recalled that the skeleton mentioned an apprentice before. The 'apprentice' was peeking into the alley and whispering to his companion. Garou's sharp ear caught his words, saying 'H-He's gone! U-Um, d-do you think he i-is he onto us?'

Why did you even follow me in the first place, Garou thought. The moss-haired boy looked like he was about to wet his pants from fright alone at any second. Garou already started to dislike him from his cowardly demeanor alone.

Garou dropped down from the roof, landing soundlessly behind the two. The presence of civilians was dry, meaning none noticed his landing.

"Long time no see, skeleton."

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

"ADWOEFJERIFHELDJWOEDJIERGNWIJFQEJO!"

Yeah, this was the same blonde skeleton from before. His wildly flailing reaction was no different than the first time.

"Our second meeting, and you're still rude as hell, huh?" Garou quipped, staring at the skeleton's sweating form before his eyes rolled to the boy.

No matter how Garou looked at the moss for brains, he deemed him a wimp. And he had a strangely instinctive dislike for the boy. There's something about him that compelled Garou to torment him, but he didn't know why.

The skeleton quickly composed himself as he coughed into his hand, trying to look like he did not freak out a few seconds earlier.

"I-I'm sorry. Anyways, it has been a while since then, Bang."

Garou's expression soured. Like hell, their encounter was a coincidence. Barely anyone comes to Hosu these days unless they either have an unavoidable business or a wish to go to the hospital.

"Why are you following me?" Garou got to the point, narrowing his eyes. He could only think of a few ideas why the skeleton came here, though he did not understand why he had brought his 'junior' along the way.

The Skeleton opened his mouth for a tense moment before he closed it. Then he opened it again… and closed it. He repeated this cycle until it looked like he was clacking his teeth from panic. His unhealthily emaciated body was even jittering by the ankles.

"I-I-I-I-well-"

"M-May I have your autograph?!"

Moss Head spouted five words that failed to sink into Garou's ears at that moment. Skeleton even looked down at his 'junior' equally baffled, his eyes and lips stuck in a rictus of confoundment.

"Hah?" But the bafflement from Garou came with a myriad of questions, most of which were questioning the kid's sanity. What the hell was that kid spouting? Garou was confused.

* * *

 **Well, bad news. I got fired. I hate myself for that... I need more training in the art of social interactions. Anyways, I am taking a slight break and see if I can speed up my production my way anyways. Hope you like it, piranhas.**


	17. Chapter 17: The Man Behind the Mask

**Yes. I have returned. Well, I am still jobless like hell and in the process of getting a job and stuff, though there are still some hurdles I need to go through in real life.**

* * *

The duo made their camp in Hosu, waiting for a chance to engage the Hero Hunter at apropos. The hotel Toshinori stayed in was in somewhat dire straits ever since the Hero Hunter staked his claim in Hosu, the influx of visitors decreasing to a crawl, but it still held on. Toshinori had more than enough currency to stay in this hotel for months if need be, thanks to Sir Nighteye's efforts.

Izuku, on the other hand, could not stay in Hosu as often as Yagi due to his personal life. The best he could do was to join Yagi after school hours on weekdays, searching for Garou in the late afternoon.

The next day after the one-sided slaughter of the villains, Toshinori and Izuku searched for Garou once more, starting with the usual place. However, another hero was engaging Garou. It was Crimson Riot, rechallenging Garou in retaliation for his record of defeats and humiliations.

For some reason, Garou always gave Crimson Riot special attention even before the truce, picking on him more than the other heroes. Izuku still took note of how Garou always liked turning him into a human pretzel after emasculating him again and again, defaming the courageous hero without an iota of shame.

It was a wonder that Crimson Riot could challenge Garou on his home turf. Garou played with him for a while before turning Crimson Riot into a pretzel again, throwing him at the ambulance to pick up. No one really knew what Garou had against Crimson Riot, but he never stopped picking on the poor hero.

Afterward, they waited for the Hero Hunter to leave the arena during lunchtime. Even the Demon of Hosu had needs that he could not ignore, such as the need for food, drink, and sleep, after all. He was hard to track, so the duo started with the nearby restaurants, looking for locations where he could dine in peace, but lo, they encountered Garou eating at a stall.

Some of Hosu's residents were aware of the Hero Hunter's identity, a fact that surprised the Hero and apprentice. Even some of the shopkeepers were casually speaking Garou's name in private, like the shrimp-headed chef. Not only that, the unmasked hero Ingenium made a surprise visit, asking them what was wrong, yet when Ingenium noticed that Garou was eating alone, he surprised the two by dining with Garou.

How the residents acclimated to Garou's presence outside his Hero Hunter persona surprised the two, adding further credence that Garou was never a villain in the first place compared to the everyday folks.

After Garou left the stall, they made sure to follow him to the best of their ability until they found a way to make the first contact with the Hero Hunter - one that wouldn't entail a reservation with the hospital. The Hero Hunter made his warning clear about his tolerance against spies from the government, and the two were in doing something that would warrant a painful trip to the hospital.

However, when the Hero Hunter made a sharp turn into a shadowy alley, Yagi and Izuku perked their heads upon seeing his entering. The two glanced at each other, one gulping audibly and the other tugging at his collar to cool his nervous sweat.

With palpable hesitation, the two peeked around the corner, widening their eyes upon seeing him gone.

"H-He's gone! U-Um, d-do you think he i-is onto us?" Midoriya almost shouted before he clasped his mouth shut, shaking in his knees.

Toshinori was about to respond, but the voice behind answered first.

"Long time no see, skeleton." A dangerously familiar voice spoke behind them.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Midoriya yelled.

"ADWOEFJERIFHELDJWOEDJIERGNWIJFQEJO!" Toshinori screamed his heart in untranslatable gibberish.

They threw their heads behind to see the unamused eyes of the Demon of Hosu bearing down on them. He somehow got behind them, but neither of the stalkers was surprised by this feat.

"Our second meeting, and you're still rude as ever, huh?" Garou quipped, staring at the Yagi, who was glistening from excess sweat. When Garou's eyes rolled to Izuku, Midoriya flinched when Garou caught him in his scrutinizing gaze. Midoriya felt as if a predator was appraising him head to toe like a domesticated cat before a wolf.

Toshinori quickly shook his composure back with a shake of his head and promptly responded, "I-I'm sorry. Anyways, it has been a while then, Bang."

Incredible awkwardness leaking from his nervous chuckle as sweat still formed like dew.

"Why are you following me?"

They were screwed. The moment he asked this question, he strangled their fates with a thread. His perception of their activities matched his skill in combat, his eyes narrowing with growing suspicion more and more each second. One slip and they would join the body pile.

"I-I-I-I-well-"

Toshinori Yagi stammered, his teeth clattering from the stress. The scenario he found himself was similar to when he tried to explain himself to Tsukauchi in his early hero days. However, this time he must explain himself to a man that could end his career in a heartbeat after giving him a one-way ticket to the hospital. Ah, Garou's eyes were narrowing into accusing slits. He really did not want to fight Garou again under these circumstances.

"M-May I have your autograph?!"

Izuku swiftly pulled a notepad from his pocket and presented it to the Demon of Hosu.

Garou was confused. Yagi was shocked, stupid. Izuku had no idea what he was doing.

"Hah?" Garou shifted all of his attention towards Izuku, his brow creased with confoundment warping his features. Looked at the notepad for a moment, his eyes slanting into narrow slits of suspicion.

"You… are taking notes on me?"

Spluttering, Izuku threw his eyes at his notepad, paling upon seeing it was the same one he wrote all of his thoughts and analysis on the Hero Hunter himself. Before Izuku could hide it in his pocket, Garou swiped it from his hands and flipped over the pages as his eyes scrutinized the contents.

"The hell is this?" Garou muttered as his eyes flickered from top to bottom. "'...-physique as lithe as Eraserhead yet bearing the power of All Might. His fists tore through laminar clothes, leather, metal, can slice…' wow." Garou flicked his eyes to the boy that was quivering his legs.

"You've paid quite a lot of your attention on me, haven't you?"

The air shifted, tension stretching the atmosphere taut with foreboding like a wolf staring down a frightened pup. Izuku gulped, teeth chattering like mad as he wrenched a response from the mire of panic.

"I, um, I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-'m a fan of your w-w-w-work! T-The way you f-f-f-fight i-is really good! Awe-inspiring!"

Izuku had no idea where he was pulling his words from since his composure swiftly fled with the wind. His eyes were wide as saucers while his body was vibrating like a strung string.

His legs were quivering, his ankles jellifying, and his knees turning to mush. Not only that, Garou stepped closer to Midoriya, intimidating him as he looked up at Garou looming over him like a wolf appraising his food. It was the first time Izuku felt like prey, and the experience was scarier than his imagination could wring.

"I can see that…" Garou's face was of… concern, his lips pursed into an uncomfortable knot.

"Are you a stalker?"

"Pfffffffff!" Garou's accusation struck Izuku's gut, forcing him into a coughing fit as he hacked his lungs out.

"And you." Garou switched his focus to Toshinori. All of Yagi's muscles tensed when his eyes laid upon him.

"You lead him here, didn't you?"

"Ack!"

Blood from his hemoptysis spilled through his teeth as he coughed violently alongside Midoriya. Their reactions mirrored that of a comedic duo performing the same act for an unamused audience of one.

"I didn't take you as suicidal when we met. Why the hell did you bring him here of all places? You do know who I am, right?"

They could hear the patience bleeding dry and suspicion dripping off his tone.

"Ahaha, G-Bang, I am… well, I wanted to see if the man I met before was anything like the Demon of Hosu. I mean…"

"I don't touch civies," Garou bluntly stated.

"Ah, I-I see…"

Like that, Garou destroyed the conversation and the Yagi's momentum. Ironically, Yagi did see this debacle coming when he decided to spy on the one that severely damaged his right arm and beat up the morale of the Hero Society one-handed, but, despite this foreseeing of events, Yagi could not write a counter to this scenario.

Garou was an unknown, a Hunter as he had portrayed throughout these devastating months. Yagi could barely scratch the surface of his character without taking severe risks to dig in deeper. Yagi knew the dangers behind this choice, but there was no other way without endangering the fragile peace Garou allowed.

"W-Well… ummm… so… how are you today?" Yagi stuttered. Garou did not respond to his weak attempt to strike a conversation.

Toshinori hoped that his words held some sway to Garou's mood. Testing the Hero Hunter's temperament with his own body was not something he wished to confront.

"If you want to talk, there are better places than in an alleyway. And following someone behind their backs is the fastest one-way ticket to the hospital," Garou rolled his eyes.

Yagi agreed with that. Frankly, he had no idea what else to do. This was his first time spying on others, this 'other' being the most dangerous man in Japan.

Garou looked at Izuku for a moment, his eyes throwing a piercing gaze, as he suddenly crouched and resumed scrutinizing Izuku up close. His face was so close to Izuku that he felt his breath refusing to leave his lungs as sweat poured out twice as fast as ever.

"This is the kid you talked about before?" Garou asked. "He looks so… dumb."

Izuku awkwardly laughed, unsure how to respond to his bluntly hurtful opinion.

"W-Well, um, sorry if you think so. But I-I believe that-"

"Shut it. We all know that this is not the case." Garou cut him off, verbally slicing the taut string holding their composure together with foreboding.

Izuku and Toshinori froze in their place, gulping their growing nervousness. More sweat trickled their skin as fear gripped their hearts. Izuku frantically prayed behind his panicking exterior while Yagi looked like he was ready to collapse from the tension on his trembling feet.

Garou's eyes locked into them as if he saw through their facade, glaring at the bitter truth hidden behind strained faces.

"So, what do you think?"

""...hm?"" Their eyes went white with confusion.

"Hm? Just 'hm?' Is that all you got for the Hero Hunter? The Hunter Amongst Villains? You came all this way to see me, skeleton, yet you don't have anything you want to say? Is it that hard to find the words on how you feel about the man you met months ago being behind the drop of heroes and villains? Really?"

Garou spread his arms apart, displaying himself before the two as they slowly understood his message.

""Ah…""

They felt embarrassed now. They were so overwhelmed by their fear that they could barely keep up with the conversation.

"Well… I'm somewhat surprised. When I first came to Hosu, I was kind of shocked that so many people know who you are…"

"You're wondering why I'm not reported or something, right?"

'No one wants mass panic.' Toshinori grimly answered in his head, reminded of his defeat at the man's hands.

"Um," Izuku shakily raised his hands. "M-May I have my notepad back?"

Garou looked at the thing in his hand, finding that he was still holding onto it.

"Hmmm… why should I?" Garou asked. "You're taking notes on me, so why should I let you have it?"

Izuku gulped, "B-Because… I-I want to know how to… be strong like you."

Izuku watched as Garou pulled back, his eyes shifting from what seemed like condescending scrutiny to newfound curiosity.

"Hoh?" Garou showed some interest. "You a Quirkless?"

Izuku furtively threw a glance at Toshinori, wanting his guidance. This situation seemed apropos for an opportune moment to form a connection with the Hero Hunter himself, but the answer to this question was… tricky. Toshinori gave Izuku a nod, giving him the green light to speak the truth.

"Y-Yes. I'm Quirkless." Izuku answered with a firmer tone, nodding as he looked up at the enemy of herokind.

The reason why this answer complicated their situation was because of Toshinori's Quirk, One For All. If Garou found out that he had a Quirk during UA's initiation ceremony, he might this a severe breach of trust, one that might lead to critical consequences on their side.

"Really? Don't tell me you plan to be a Hero while I'm still around? You do know that you cannot be a match for me, Quirk, or no Quirk, right?" Garou slapped Izuku's dream with bitter reality.

'Of course, I know.' Izuku could not imagine himself defeating the same man that defeated his idol. Even if he managed to graduate, it would take years for him to achieve his ideal, years that Garou could use however he pleases. Worst-case scenario, Garou might become even stronger throughout those years.

"Y-yes," Izuku staunchly affirmed, fortifying his heart as he stood unfaltering under the Hero Hunter's gaze. "I know that being a hero these days is considered a… dangerous profession. But even if you are out there, I will be a hero."

"Oh?" Garou squinted his eyes. "You got balls, kid. Don't tell me? Are you going to be the one to beat me?"

Garou sounded almost mocking. He waved the notepad in front of Izuku as if belittling his drive, his dream.

Izuku clenched his fists, triggered by Garou's dare.

"Yes! I will defeat you!" Izuku declared with all of his spirit.

Garou's lips curled into a wicked smirk as he chuckled, "Hah! Not bad, your courage is stout at least. Though this is the first time I met a kid your age."

Izuku smiled back, relaxing his muscles upon feeling the tension falling. However, his smile stiffened when he realized that he openly declared that he would defeat the Hero Hunter in his face.

'Ah.'

His pores started to sweat droplets of his regret en masse as Garou's wicked smile grew wider after witnessing his growing fear.

"Well, color me impressed. Of all people, a kid with guts managed to say something to the Hunter Amongst Villains. I hope you're proud of yourself. Did you prepare the grave beforehand?"

"A-A-A-A-Ah, u-u-u-u-um," Izuku stuttered his response with rising trembling.

"Do you even know how to take me down? If you aren't lying to my face, then you probably have no chance even if you have a hundred years of prep time. What kind of battle plan do you have against me? Hmmm?"

His face masked by wicked intent, Garou squatted until his eyes leveled with Izuku's. It was almost as if he was feasting on Izuku's fear with great pleasure, a cruel sadism preying on the poor boy's nerves.

"I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I h-h-h-have a-a g-g-g-good i-idea." Izuku was a stammering wreck before the hero hunter, teeth chattering, and bones shaking with his muscles.

"And that is? No, don't bother telling me, not like your idea would hold weight. I've fought the best of the heroes and villains here, and none of them could hold a candle to me. Your training regimen will be nothing more than a joke," Garou scoffed with condescending, effectively dispiriting.

Toshinori decided to intervene and coughed into his hands before Garou decided to entertain some… thoughts aimed at their health.

"Ack, ahem. B-Bang, my boy, I think you are taking your derisions a bit too far. The boy aspires to become a hero, so why not let him strive for it?"

"Because they suck?" Garou turned to Toshinori with a raised brow.

"I… well…" Toshinori had no words to defend his fellow heroes, the second greatest of whom lay in the hospital, recuperating.

"Wait…" Garou narrowed his eyes at Toshinori. "Don't tell me, are you his trainer?"

"Ack!" Toshinori spat coughing blood again, doubling over with his blood painting his shoes. Garou's perception was too sharp for his health, and if Toshinori kept staying around Garou, he might die from blood loss alone.

"Oh my god, you're too honest for your own good." Garou looked as if he wasn't sure if he should laugh at Toshinori or pity him.

"Ack, ack, hack… perhaps." Yagi had no words to defend himself.

"Tell me, how're you training the twerp?" Garou asked, pointing at Izuku with the boy's notepad.

Toshinori looked away, unsure of how to portray his plan. After all, he wasn't a teacher in spirit, for he failed to inherit the wisdom of training legacies from his master or the predecessor when she was still alive.

"Um… I'm… having him clean up… Dagoba Beach as part of his training, if that is what you're wondering," Toshinori sheepishly divulged, his cheeks blushing red from shame.

He could not imagine what kind of training Garou endured to be as he is today, but he could imagine that it could not be compared to his.

"Ohhh? That place with a large section closed off because of the trash?" Garou whistled. "Can he even pull out a large truck out? If he isn't carrying the trash from beach to junkyard on foot, I won't be impressed."

''Eh?''

Toshinori and Izuku stared at the Hero Hunter, their jaws agape and baffled. No matter the angle of perspective, that amount of work would ask of Izuku's death by the end of it, and the two could imagine dying from overwork in the street under a noon sun.

Now Toshinori and Izuku understood the Hero Hunter's standards, and they were higher than the peak of hero society, past the clouds, and perhaps beyond. The labor he demanded was beyond Toshinori's intentions for Izuku, probably breaking his back and more.

"Actually, I think I should bring him here to do that… could test his back." Garou muttered as he tapped his chin in thought.

"Hm?" Toshinori felt his ears perking.

"You know what? I've an idea. When do you usually go train your little Twerp at that beach?"

"Um, M-Mr. Gar- I mean, Bang,… m-my name is Izuku…"

"Your name is Twerp. And it'll be as long as I like it."

Izuku could only stand there helplessly like a babe to an adult, now with another tag bearing the label 'Twerp' dangling alongside Bakugou's 'Deku.' All chances to negotiate with the Hero Hunter on changing his name. Besides, when Izuku imagined the Hero Hunter, he expected a Hero-Villain-slaying monster in human skin that paralleled his feats… instead he found a normal man with a penchant for mischief.

He seemed far more amiable than Izuku imagined, and that made him wonder how such a man had fallen into the role of Japan's number one public enemy. Izuku was sure such a man would befit the role of a hero more than a Villain… or whatever he was now. Garou did not spare any effort in teaching the public his role, one he crafted from the blood of the victims for them to see.

"Ahahaha, w-well, I see you have a sense of humor…" Toshinori did find his humor humanizing somewhat. "As for when, usually somewhere around three in the afternoon. Why do you ask?"

"Simple. I want to compare our skills as fellow masters. Long story short, I've got an apprentice."

"Oh, an apprentice? That's…"

A long pause descended upon the trio, two of which losing all of their colors, whiter than the world around them. Izuku and Toshinori quickly scrubbed their ears clean with their pinky fingers concurrently, and they shook their heads to shake their mind straight.

"Yeah, my disciple. I'm training one."

Garou spoke as if it was apparent.

""...""

That one word finally sank in.

""EHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH?!""

"Yep. Anyways, that reminds me, I have to go pick him up. See you tomorrow at three, chumps. Tell anyone about this, and I'll obliterate you two. So so long." Without warning, Garou waved the two his goodbyes, leaving the two dumbfounded spies alone by the entrance of the alleyways as his figure shrank down the streets.

"...huh?" Izuku had no words for the revelation that struck its nail into his brain.

"...he has an apprentice?" Toshinori shared Izuku's bafflement in equal measure.

"...he has an apprentice." Izuku couldn't believe the implication of this.

The real question was, what did he look like? The blow he dealt widened the cracks of the fractured image they had of him. The Demon of Hosu being a teacher… it was like seeing a wolf frolicking with rabbits. Not only was information could pose a threat to the Hero Hunter if it fell into the wrong hands, but it was also a double-edged sword, capable of rousing him to resume his hunts with tenfold the fervor - a crusade that neither side of the scale could afford.

As for his apprentice, Toshinori imagined a more devilish version of Garou, worse, one with a Quirk. Against all the odds, Izuku imagined an evil version of All Might, one with a wicked smile plastered over All Might's iconic version.

"...All… Toshinori… what should we do?" Izuku asked, their mission descending into chaos already from their first encounter. Izuku looked at his empty hands where his notepad once laid, now in the hands of the Hero Hunter to read as he pleased.

"..."

Toshinori had absolutely no idea.

All they could do now was to follow the flow of today's events. Returning to the matter of Garou's secret disciple, Toshinori gulped down the vestige of blood remaining in his mouth, bracing himself for the meeting of the second Hero Hunter in the making.

Although he could not suppress his curiosity, what kind of soul would interest Garou to take on as his disciple?

* * *

"Hello!"

At the littered sands of Dagoba Beach, with the afternoon sun shining at its brightest overhead, Izuku and Toshinori stared at the tiny boy sitting on Garou's shoulders, the boy waving his hands at them with his silver cowlick wagging like a puppy's tail.

Garou arriving was surprising enough for the two, but him coming with a boy riding his shoulders without fear stunned them to gaping silence. Neither even knew that Garou would give shoulder rides, nearly breaking their image of him into pieces. Toshinori expected to encounter surprises, but he did not expect this much. The sheer amount Garou had would kill him with a heart attack if this continued.

"Umm… hello." Izuku waved back his hand at the kid.

"G-Bang, um, may I know who this is?" Toshinori pointed at the kid.

"Who do you think?" Garou uttered as if it was obvious judging by his impatient tone.

If they remembered Garou's words, only disbelief would follow as they stared at the smiling kid on Garou's shoulders.

"I… don't see your apprentice anywhere. Is he coming in later?" Toshinori guessed.

"Not later. He's already here."

The more Garou answered the more the two refused to believe their eyes. No, no, there was no way. The two looked around the beach just in case, hoping to see anyone else that came with him.

"Hello! My name is Ghin! I am Aniki's disciple!" The boy that named himself Ghin declared, pumping both his arms up adorably.

Their eyes grew bloodshot as all strength in their jaws left them.

""Huh?"" Confusion gripped them in a chokehold, refusing to let them go, and it seemed to amuse the two arrivals.

"What? He's calling me big brother for reasons. Besides, you got a problem with him?" Garou asked with a quirked brow.

Yes, yes, they do. All of their expectations became sands of broken glass, while questions drowned their minds to the point of rupturing.

"I am his number one disciple!" The boy declared with pride.

There was no way that the child could be his disciple.

"...why is he… so young?" Izuku was the first to utter but failed to find the right words to express his concerns.

"Long story. The Shrimp can take care of himself very well now because of me."

"The world will one day fear me!" Ghin shouted with glee.

The kid looked more adorable than scary now. His cheerful smile wasn't exactly helping him. The two heroes were stunned into silence, still parsing the fact that Garou's disciple was a child, as they felt their mocking laughs bounce off their ears almost incessantly.

"How did you… come across him?" Toshinori shakily pointed his finger at the child on Garou's shoulder.

"I met him when I came here, long story short. It's complicated."

"But…"

"None of your business," Garou warned.

Izuku and Toshinori had so many questions on the circumstances that lead to Garou taking a child under his wing, but one thing was for certain.

The man behind the Hero Hunter shattered the vestiges of their expectations just when they thought the man could not surprise them anymore. He was a completely different person when he wasn't out hunting heroes and terrorizing villains.

The man was so normal - well, in his own way - that one wouldn't expect him to be the Hero Hunter. Izuku had finally understood why Toshinori insisted that learning about Garou is so crucial.

"I… understand."

"N-Nice to meet you, um…" Izuku grabbed the words to deliver a late greeting to Ghin. The situation grew so awkward they didn't know how to properly converse.

"Nice to meet you, too... wow, your face looks stupider than Aniki said."

The first conversation was a tongue-lashing already, his words whipping Izuku's self-esteem.

"Ugh, please don't say that." Izuku had a hunch that Ghin would be just as difficult to deal with as Garou.

"I don't like you."

Toshinori took heed of Ghin's blunt words, the influence of Garou clearly seen on him. Toshinori took a deep breath and gathered his thoughts. He decided to ask about the boy.

"Young… Ghin. May I call you that?"

"You may, Twigs."

Toshinori could not retort to that. Ghin was like the spitting image of Garou, only with years sliced off Garou's age.

"Haha, my name is Toshinori Yagi and this is Midoriya Izuku. As you can see, I was a brief acquaintance of Mr. Bang in his… wilder months."

"Oh yeah, I enjoyed it. Aniki told me a lot about his hunts, especially how he kicked All Might's butt here."

"Ack!" Toshinori doubled over, hacking blood from his lips again.

"Oh, right… shouldn't have said that." Ghin smiled playfully, snickering under his breath.

Izuku choked a lump in his throat when he heard that, reminded of his idol's downfall and Garou's might.

"Ahahaha! Yeah, I beat him. Shame that he has a hole in his gut. I wanted to see how well the bag of muscles is in his prime. If I see him again with that broken gut, I will skewer him."

Garou laughed as Toshinori looked away as Izuku forced awkward laughs with guilt and anxiety boiled in his gut, cold sweat pouring out while their nerves lost a few fibers from learning how close they were into joining the heroes in the hospital.

"Hey, Twerp. You an All Might fan?" Garou called out.

Izuku snapped out of his thoughts as he looked at Garou, trying to forget that one misstep would lead to a painful game over. "O-Oh. Yes, indefinitely!"

"Huh, you're painfully honest, kid. You knew that he had a hole in his gut?" Garou asked.

"N-No, I didn't…" Izuku prepared himself for this in case they asked.

"Well, bad news, he's a cripple. You guys might need another Number One Hero, but I don't see any hope in Number Two, and he is more pathetic than a crippled All Might. The old man's bound for retirement, and I've sped his time up for quite a bit."

Toshinori stifled another cough as blood spilled through his teeth behind Izuku.

"Anyways, enough about that cripple. Skeleton, show me how you work your kid."

Garou's eyes threw at Izuku with piercing criticism, his judgemental gaze pressing down on Izuku's smaller form. The apprentice of the number one hero looked at Garou and then at the junk surrounding them before shifting to Toshinori. The Number One Hero in disguise turned to Garou and then Izuku.

"Um… M-Midoriya, you may… start."

Toshinori wasn't sure how to properly phrase the commencing. Never did Toshinori order Izuku to train as he only watched Izuku resume the training of his own volition. Toshinori never took the spartan commander role of a trainer; he preferred himself as a… passive motivator. That and the awkward atmosphere added from Garou did not help calm their nerves.

Izuku silently nodded as he frigidly tiptoed towards one of the discarded appliances, a broken refrigerator… twice his size, teeth and stomach promptly clenched, as he pushed the machine across the sands with all his might at the pace of a snail.

"...what?" Garou uttered.

"Eh? He's not carrying it?" Ghin added as he watched Izuku's struggle with judgemental eyes.

Izuku's endeavors did not impress the two at all, and it frightened Izuku. Toshinori apologized to Izuku in his mind. He could sense that Izuku's training would grow harsher the moment Garou decided to arrive here.

"Ahaha, um, sorry if this does not live up to your… expectation. This is merely a work in progress, so-"

"Why aren't you forcing him to carry that thing on his back?" Garou bluntly interrupted.

His message caused Izuku to stop, turning to Garou with a face of growing despair. Toshinori froze stiff; sudden worry struck his mien with the image of Izuku resting on the bed in the hospital hitting his head.

"U-Um, I am sure that won't be healthy for Midoriya's spine." Toshinori suggested.

"Hah! How long were you training Twerp?" Garou queried.

"Ummm, a few... months?" Toshinori revealed.

"Are you trying to get him expelled on the first entry test?" Garou bluntly accused with a quirked brow. "As far as I know, this kind of training is begging for him to fail. The hell are you thinking?"

'That I'm preparing him to handle my Quirk.' Toshinori thought in his head.

There was no way Toshinori would admit that to Garou. The secrets

"I…"

"That's it." Garou walked over to Izuku without another word and grabbed the edge of Izuku's fridge.

"You. Carry this." Lifting the junk with one hand above Izuku, Garou dropped it.

"Ugh!"

And Garou watched it crush Izuku under its weight. He was now buried, the junk atop of him being his faux gravestone.

"Midoriyaaaa!" Toshinori panicked as he ran to him, seeing only Izuku's hand sticking out the dirt.

"H-Help…" Izuku squeaked underneath his tomb of junk. Toshinori wanted to lift it, but in front of _him_ …

"Ahahahahaha!"

This served as fuel for laughter for Ghin, the boy's laughter throwing oil into Toshinori's consciousness. As for Toshinori, he could only grimace while desperately praying for Garou to spare him.

"Your kid is weak. Did your brain suffer from blood loss as well when you're training this wimp?" Garou spoke upfront.

Toshinori rapped his fingers furtively against each other as blood started to pool in his lungs.

"Wait, don't speak, I have a better idea. Shrimp, show him how it's done," Garou ordered.

"Yes, Aniki!" Ghin nodded as he dropped down from Garou's shoulder and ran towards a broken refrigerator. He squatted, slid his fingers under the rotting fridge, and, to Toshinori's surprise, lifted the refrigerator with some effort overhead.

Feeling the sudden lightness, Izuku, groaning, looked up to see him lifting the flaking appliance, two hands holding up the overshadowing object over his head.

Like Toshinori, Izuku hung his jaw slightly at the sight of Ghin holding something more than four times his diminutive size while he couldn't.

"I… my, I must say I did not expect this." Toshinori uttered as Ghin stood there with a triumphant smile.

"Hah. If you're surprised by this, you're going to die of blood loss when I show you everything," Garou laughed.

"Oh? For example?" Toshinori asked as he helped Izuku to his feet, the latter staring at Ghin with equal surprise.

"The boy has no Quirk. I trained him to where he is today, and it isn't easy."

"Behold the power of a Quirkless boy!" Ghin declared. It grew even more absurd when the boy started walking with heavy steps, moving at a faster pace than Izuku himself.

Izuku and Toshinori blinked as they saw Ghin smiling back at them. Their jaws slowly slacked as if their control of it slowly bled. They knew that Garou was an abnormal case, a villain of unnatural might capable of toppling the strongest of heroes even under the baleful gaze of Eraserhead amongst their ranks. Garou declared himself Quirkless, a claim that held a lot of opposition from those with mired in the world of Quirks.

Izuku looked at Ghin's feet, the toes on the boy's sandals. He saw no extra joints in any of his toes, a physical indication of the Quirkless as his doctor stated.

"No way…" The secret behind Garou's power applied to others? Here? How? And a kid many years younger than him had achieved something most adults couldn't.

If the people learned that those without a Quirk could obtain the same level of power as Garou, how much would this knowledge shake the world? What form of changes would this revelation bring, the chaos it would wreak?

"Alright Shrimp, help him clean up this beach. From now on, you have a junior beside you," Garou pointed at Izuku.

Both followers of justice did not catch that word.

"Hm?" Izuku blinked. "Junior?"

"Yeah. You're the junior," Garou smiled back, his smile wicked and promising nothing but bad omens.

"Eh?" Toshinori did not understand what was happening.

"W-what are you saying? I-I don't-"

"Your training is disgraceful." Garou sneered. "I refuse to allow it. This kind of training would only work out in a few years, but if I remember, you want to level him up enough to enter a school fit for Quirk supremacists? I don't think so."

Izuku and Toshinori did not believe UA to be Quirk supremacists, as Garou depicted them. Actually, that sounded racist now that they thought about it.

"From now on, I'm taking over this Twerp's training. I'm going to grind him into dust until he can't live without feeling like his guts are on fire every day and night. I'm going to show the world that one doesn't need Quirks to be a hero."

The mention of Garou training Izuku did not do well for Toshinori's waning health as his jaw dropped again at Garou's forceful takeover of Izuku's tutelage.

"EH?! B-But why?!" Toshinori yelled flabbergasted.

Why would Garou take an interest in Izuku this soon? This was their first meeting, and Toshinori was sure that Garou wasn't the kind of person that would take apprentices on the fly.

"'Cause it looks fun."

However, once more, Garou shattered the Symbol of Peace's image of him.

"Hah?! Fun?!"

His answer did not compute as well.

"I want to see how an overgrown brat would fare in the hell I've in mind." Garou's smile started to darken, corrupted with sinister intent. It looked more like the smile of a devil than one of a mischievous imp.

"Huh?" Izuku could sense the malice behind his smile as a dark chill wormed into his spine, and his senses were correct.

From that day forth, Garou had invaded their personal lives and delivered his promise in mincing Izuku through the meat grinder he called 'training.'

* * *

 **Also, what do you think so far? I've been working on my Overlord fanfic more than this one, and I think I am a little out of touch with Garou. This scene also seemed a bit iffy since I'm sure I repeated some statements. My affinity with the My Hero Academia cast is still rusty in my opinion. Please leave constructive reviews on my behalf.**


	18. Chapter 18: Rabbit Meets Wolf

**Well, long time no see... I have finally decided to create an account. I don't know where this will take me, but I want to test myself to see if I can amp my production and quality with a bit of motivation. I am still in search of a job, but with this Coronavirus fiasco, I am not sure if one is still opening this day. Anyways, here's the segmented link and enjoy.**

 **www. p atreon / I4MD347H**

* * *

"HNNNNNNNNNNGHHHHHHHH!"

From the sands of Dagoba Beach, the squawk of an unfortunate Soul squeezed out from its throat, rasps filled with indescribable suffering as the soul walked towards the streets with heavy steps.

"Keep going, or I'll kick your ass," said the Soul's tormentor.

"He definitely will kick your ass!" Shouted the smiling boy hurrying past him.

Toshinori watched Izuku carry the broken air conditioner… a huge one with Garou sitting atop it. He could feel his disciple's pain, the effort he must have mustered even to support the weight on his back, and there was nothing Toshinori could say to alleviate Izuku's dilemma.

He shifted his attention to the boy training with him, carrying equally heavy stuff on with considerably less effort from which his smiling face reflected. Toshinori wondered what Garou's relationship with the young boy was. Was he Garou's little brother? Ghin did continue to call Garou Aniki with idolizing affection.

He didn't know Garou was good with children in the first place- ah, Izuku looked like he was going to drop down again. Izuku was making a very strained face; his cheeks red like apples as he neared towards the concrete streets past the promenade.

"Wimp!" Ghin gleefully shouted as he ambled past Izuku with a mischievous smile.

The boy seemed to enjoy overtaking his elders in a somewhat innocent but devilish manner.

"Excuse me, um, Bang? May I ask what the point of this training is? Wouldn't this kill him?"

Or cripple his spine, no less.

"Yep." Garou nodded.

"Eh?" Izuku halted upon hearing Garou's answer.

"Before I train them, I kill them. I grind their pitiful bodies to dust first then rebuild what's left of them from the ground up," Garou grinned with malevolence.

"Eh?!" So his training was to break down Midoriya at his substantial risk?!

"B-But that's inhumane! No one could get that strong at this level!"

"Look at the boy. I once threw him up the mountain and looked at how he turned out. Did you think there's a secret shortcut training method or something?" Garou glared at Toshinori, almost as if insulted by his implication.

"I…" Toshinori grimaced.

Regrettably, he had indeed hoped that there was a secret, but in turn, his secret was, in fact, no more than suicidal training if he was to be believed.

"There is no such thing as the easy way in life. You'll only hurt yourself if you keep searching for it when it isn't there," Garou scolded. "And you, why are you stopping? Get moving, or else I will drop a desk on this thing."

"Ah! Y-Yes!" Izuku yelped as he quickly straightened his back and strenuously pulled his legs with every step.

' _Garou…'_ Toshinori didn't know what to say.

The flow of logic Garou follows wasn't simple to rebuff. Toshinori could not disagree with his form of wisdom since he also underwent many trials in his year-long journey to become the Symbol of Peace. Garou, on the other hand, took that to stride, only on a magnitude unprecedented if what he saw was of any indication.

"Hello, wimp! Bye, wimp!" Ghin shouted again with glee when he strolled past Izuku again, carrying a large sofa overhead.

Izuku could only grunt and whimper as he finally touched the planks of the promenade.

"This is like the Tortoise and the Hare…" Toshinori muttered, comparing the situation to an old children's story with Izuku as the tortoise and young Ghin as the hare.

Only in this case, the hare didn't let the tortoise catch up to victory. When Izuku finally dropped the appliance into the pile out the streets, he trudged back to repeat, his shoulders slouched and his face drenched with sweat.

He looked as if every fiber of his being was screaming in pain, and this was his first day since Garou took over his training. Then Izuku plopped face-first into the sands, groaning in agony with tears and snot dripping onto the sand.

"Ugggggggggggghhhhhhh…"

"Ah." Toshinori felt pity for Izuku, even more so when Garou walked over to him and started kicking him.

"Get up, or I will kick your ass for real."

Garou continued kicking Izuku's groaning corpse. He seemed to be stirring from his slumber, lifting his face from the sands.

"Help… can't… move…."

"Good, you're breaking down. Now get back up and move," Garou demanded without mercy in his tone.

"Now, now, Garou." Toshinori intervened, stepping up before Garou could carry out his promise.

"How about we take a break, huh? If you continue pushing Izuku like this, he might not-"

"Of course this Twerp can. If the boy can climb a mountain without rest, then so can he, and I didn't see boy complain."

"I did complain!" Arriving with another block of junk three times his size, Ghin interjected. "Countless times! No matter what I say, you won't let me take a break!"

Ghin was pouting at Garou; his cheeks puffed wide.

"But at least you heeded my words. Here, look at this guy." Garou kicked the groaning corpse by his feet. "Probably five or six years older than you, and he couldn't even withstand his first day on the job."

Toshinori found some offense in his evaluation of Izuku, but he was more concerned with how Garou trained his… very young disciple.

"Now that I cleared this misunderstanding, hurry, and get up." Garou continued kicking Izuku's corpse until he finally started to push himself up.

"I-I am sorry, but may I ask for some details behind your... gruesome regimen?" Toshinori asked the young boy.

He did hear Garou saying something about throwing him up a mountain, but…

"Like what? He really made me climb a mountain with my bare hands without rest for the first day as a 'warm-up' and then forced me into harsh, rigorous sets," Ghin bluntly clarified the whole picture.

The full weight of the truth pulled Yagi's jaw down to the sands. The level of difficulty Garou forced on a young child was… insanely hazardous, a death sentence for someone Ghin's age.

"W-What?! That's inhumane! He..." Toshinori yelled, trying to find the right words to express.

"Don't blame him. He didn't force me to go... actually, he sort of did, but I chose to do it in the end. And I don't regret my choice."

Toshinori couldn't accept his reasoning.

"W-why?! Children shouldn't climb mountains bare-handed! You should be playing with others your age, not...!"

All cheerfulness the boy emulated before dropped, his smile melting away into a severe expression unbefitting someone his age.

"Are you Quirkless?"

"What? Yes, why?" He wasn't lying in a sense.

He was born without a Quirk like Izuku.

"Because you of all people should know the pain of living in a world different from the others. Abandoned, tossed aside as useless."

This time, Ghin had spoken words that were too mature, too heavy for someone his age to carry. Whatever retort Toshinori had in his throat died within him when he looked into the boy's eyes. For a moment, embers burning of rage replacing the innocence as if peeking out from behind a mask.

"No one is there for me. No one, not even the only family I have. Not even the heroes around me... none of them can help me. There are no real heroes for the Quirkless. So don't tell me what I should or should not do, old man." Ghin's change of tone was sudden; the words of the cheerful child replaced by one that seemed to share Garou's hatred for heroes with substantial justification. Toshinori could practically feel what the boy was going through, something that even he, the Symbol of Peace, cannot touch.

Without a word, Ghin briskly left to pick another piece of trash from the junk pile, a thrown away drawer, leaving Toshinori stunned in silence.

"...no heroes for the Quirkless..." he muttered.

Toshinori wanted to retort, but he couldn't. Not even he could deny that there were heroes for those without Quirks... but he could not understand. What happened to the child? The cheerfulness he had before now felt like a mask to hide his pain... and something else he hadn't seen but could sense.

* * *

"He has a disciple?! Are you saying he is taking in apprentices?!"

Within his hero office, Sir Nighteye shouted at Toshinori, nearly jumping out of his paper-filled desk. Seated across his office desk, Toshinori stared at his lap, fingers laced together in thought as he reminisced the boy that followed the most dangerous man in Japan.

"... Yes, I am certain." Sir Nighteye sighed, lying on the desk with his elbows as he pinched the bridge of his nose out of stress.

"It appears we have severely underestimated him… _again_. He continues to shatter our expectations just when we thought we'd seen it all." Sir Nighteye looked up at Toshinori and laced his fingers together. His eyes were staring at Toshinori in a deep rumination on the subject. "Forgive me if I sound demanding, but tell me everything you know about this apprentice."

Toshinori looked back at his former sidekick in thought as his thoughts were still stuck to that boy he met on Dagoba Beach.

"I don't know if I should."

Sir Nighteye did not react.

His facial features remained stoic, unflinching despite his idol's refusal.

"Is there a particular reason that you decided to withhold critical information? If Garou is taking in others and spark a following, then who knows-"

"It is complicated," Toshinori interrupted.

' _Complicated,'_ however, did not complement the complexity even at surface level.

"Complicated? I don't understand. What could be so complicated behind trying to stop others from becoming like him?" In the silent room, nary a single noise in the air, the gazes of their eyes were almost clashing, grinding even with a competitive intensity that simple words could not describe.

"You would understand my motivations if you've seen him in person. All I can say to you is… his age is much younger than I anticipated."

Sir Nighteye slowly widened his eyes. He had caught his idol's message.

"How old is he?" Nighteye immediately asked.

Toshinori pursed his lips as he answered.

"If I must be blunt, his apprentice is so young that his head could barely reach my knee."

The stoic features of the man in glasses quivered, faltering as if struck in the face. Toshinori took notice of Sir Nighteye's eyelids lifting from their narrow, sempiternal glare. The information seemed to have shaken him just as much as it did him when Garou introduced the boy to him. His hands were starting to shake, his jaw slightly unhinging the more he parsed the information his idol confessed. Words seemed to have failed him, barely a single word coming out of his throat as if paralyzed with a seizure.

"What… what? Are you… I cannot imagine him recruiting a child out of every other Japanese citizen! A teenager, I could understand, but a child no less?!" When the words formed, it transformed into an outburst of skepticism, warping Sir Nighteye's features in a mix of outrage and disbelief.

Toshinori could sympathize with Sir Nighteye's reaction. He would've reacted the same if he learned it from Sir Nighteye's mouth if their positions were reversed.

"I don't know why myself… but from the brief time I had to chat with him, I can see he is hiding a lot of pain. One thing I do know for sure is that Garou did not force him. The boy joined him out of his own free will."

"From what I could understand, what reason would a child want to undergo harsh training from the most dangerous Villain… no, my mistake, man known to our country?" Sir Nighteye sighed, pinching his nose in stress once more.

Toshinori did not understand either.

"He seems to have lost faith in the current hero society... I don't know what happened to him, but it seems strong enough for him to follow Garou."

The corner of Sir Nighteye's lips quivered. He slowly lowered his gaze until it reached the desk. An awkward silence descended into the room. After a moment passed, Sir Nighteye slowly reached for his glasses, pushing it up back into position.

"... Does his apprentice have a Quirk?"

It sounded as if he knew the answer to the question, but must ask it anyways to steady himself.

"No."

Sir Nighteye stayed silent for a few seconds after that.

"...so he wants to gain strength to change our society..." Sir Nighteye conjectured.

Toshinori shared his opinion. Knowing Garou and his philosophy on Quirks in general, it would be a miracle if some of it didn't rub off onto Ghin.

"What does he want to become? A Villain? No, that would be too rude... does he want to follow Garou in his footsteps?" Sir Nighteye asked.

That was something Toshinori didn't want, a child growing up as the next Hero Hunter. Some of the villains nowadays chose to reject society because of how it viewed individuals based on their Quirks. Most of the Villains were outcasts, shunned because of how society mistreated them due to their Quirks, unfortunate souls they are. However, since Garou's emergence, there is a good chance Ghin would take a more dangerous path, one Garou paved with his own two hands.

"I don't know. I... am afraid that if I find out, then I might not be able to convince the boy to choose otherwise as I am now. I didn't ask... we got off on the wrong foot when I asked why he chose to follow Garou."

Sir Nighteye sighed as he slowly raised his head, his gaze meeting Toshinori's once again.

"So far... I have an idea of your answer to this question, but I will ask anyway." Sir Nighteye closed his eyes for a few seconds. When he opened them, Sir Nighteye resumed. "From what I can conclude, you are speaking as if the boy's training was bearing fruit…"

Toshinori broke eye contact with Sir Nighteye, looking down on his lap.

"To my shock, yes. The boy has shown strength that his age should not allow. I wouldn't believe it if I didn't know any better, honestly."

"I am afraid of this… yet, I cannot help but be surprised."

Toshinori was still surprised even now.

"How effective is his training?"

"I am afraid… that in a few years, we might have another Hero Hunter in Japan if nothing is done."

Sir Nighteye buried his face into his hands. Toshinori could see the migraines from his information drilling into his skull.

"I cannot believe this… to think that he found a way to make our lives even harder than now."

Toshinori understood the implications behind his worries. The fact that the disciple was a child, an innocent bystander that did no wrong was more than enough indication tied their hands. They could not arrest a child for no reason, and if anyone of them intervened and took the child away from Garou, it would impact the public image of them and provoke the Hero Hunter to incur damages they could not repair.

"How would you describe their... relationship? Did Garou abuse the kid?"

Toshinori looked up. Recalling Ghin's attachment to the Hero Hunter, and how Garou was handling him, Toshinori couldn't help but bring a little smile to his face.

"Well... no. Surprisingly, believe it or not, Garou is very good with children."

Sir Nighteye did not react, but his skepticism was felt in his next question, "Are you sure?" He asked as if querying Toshinori if he was joking. As humorous as it was, that heart-warming scene was not false.

Toshinori let out a chuckle, "On the contrary, he is very attached to Garou. Almost as if he is his family."

Sir Nighteye pushed up his glasses again, "Does the child bear genetic relations with the Hero Hunter?"

"No, Garou told me otherwise, but I wouldn't be surprised if they were."

Sir Nighteye hummed in thought, lowering his gaze as the reflecting light masked the translucent glass.

"To sum your report, we have learned that Garou has a disciple of an alarmingly early age, and his power derives from a force unrelated to that of Quirks as proven with our failed manhunt with Eraserhead as our vanguard, a power that can be nurtured through effort. However, one that we have no clue on how to harness."

Toshinori found that to be a very apt summary of his report.

"This information could prove valuable to the hero community, and dangerous for any Villain that dared learn of this possibility."

Toshinori agreed. He cannot imagine what would happen if the Villains were to come to claim this power.

"But this only leaves the question… what should we do with them?"

'A good question. _'_

At Garou's current state and position, there wasn't much the Heroes could do, the same for the Villains as well. Garou was simply too strong, too skilled, and he held knowledge of Toshinori's critical condition. Ultimately, Garou won the moment he defeated him in a fair fight, respecting the code of honor even no less.

"It might be best if I continue monitoring Garou. If I can learn more about him and his origins, I might be able to convince him to change his ways." Toshinori couldn't remember the one time he reformed a Villain…

Well, a Hunter in this case. In his prime, he did manage to change some Villains, although ' _coerced_ ' was the better word. Actually, now that he thought about it, he didn't give them a choice, it was more of an ultimatum situation he enforced upon the society of villains.

Meaning this was Toshinori's first, earnest attempt at reforming a dangerous man that strayed from the righteous path. The fact that Garou had honor, never kills, and refused to involve civilians and bystanders into his conflict was the only consolation that assuaged Toshinori's distress. Even so, there was hope for Garou, and that was enough cause for Toshinori to move forward down this treacherous path.

"Hmm… I am still not sure if it is still possible to sway Garou to surrender his crusade," Sir Nighteye voiced his doubts.

"Even so, it is our only option. There is hope for us," Toshinori rebuked.

"It depends on his past… All Might. You must find the source of his hatred for Heroes in your mission if you wish to make strides in your progress. There is always a root cause for every motive, no matter how big or small, simple or complex. Not even Garou is exempt from this rule no matter his power."

Toshinori couldn't agree with this statement more.

Hopefully, the more he and Midoriya spend time with Garou, the more the man with many titles would open up to them. Who knows, maybe Garou would one day replace him as a Number One hero if he performed well enough… Toshinori could imagine it with ease, surprisingly. Garou had a soft spot for children, and he even took Izuku in when he learned he was Quirkless.

He smiled a little from entertaining the thought.

"I understand, my friend."

"Hmmm… it is getting late. I think you should return to your hotel in Hosu and get some rest."

Toshinori nodded. Today left him much more exhausted than usual. Dealing with Garou was a testament to the adversity the Hero Hunter wrought.

"That might be for the best." Toshinori rose from his seat and went to the coat stand, taking his jacket he brought to warm himself in the cold of fall.

"Is there any news from the Villain side?" Toshinori asked as he slipped his arms through the sleeves one after the other.

While dealing with Garou was imperative, Toshinori and the others could not ignore the other evils infesting their society. The crime rate has decreased nowadays, but recent events gainsaid the notion that Villains have diminished. Instead, there was a rise of criminals soaring… not the kind that would rob stores or hold civilians hostages in public.

There were those rising to challenge the Heroes in single combat. Most likely, some were inspired by Garou's brazenness to confront heroes publicly. It was a personal war between Heroes and challengers, the latter testing the current Heroes, some of the challengers facing the heroes publicly and some secret in isolated areas. In short, one could call them post-Garou Hero Hunters, or at least self-declared Hero Hunters.

"Hmm. If you refer to the usual pre-Garou Villains, then not so much; as for the new troublemakers after that, their attacks on Heroes specifically have grown more apparent than before. On a specific note, the Hero Killer has stopped his activities for a while."

Within the shadow of the Hero Hunter, many former hero hunters and other villains that specifically targeted heroes overall were shoved out of the spotlight.

Those from the pre-Garou era held a growing hatred for the Quirkless hunter while new criminals, post-Garou, rose to challenge the Hero in an attempt to mimic Garou's feats or to continue what he had started and left unfinished. One of those trapped in Garou's shadow was the Hero Killer, Stain.

He committed a string of murders in the first few months, mostly in an attempt to one-up the Hero Hunter in an unofficial race to be Garou's contender, but Garou had proven too much even for the murderer's efforts. The number of his victims rose to sixty-three in the months, a number the Hero Society could not ignore and a number dwarfed by the Hero Hunter's victim count. However, he had stopped his activities a month ago. Either because he had given up or had decided to bide his time.

"…Hmmm." Toshinori hummed in worry. Garou had damaged both the Hero and Villain side, but Garou did not hunt the evils hidden in the cracks of society, leaving much breathing room for them to plot and scheme, those like the Hero Killer, for example. "I will return if I learn any new information. Have a good night, Sir Nighteye."

Bidding his former sidekick a good night, Toshinori left, exiting the door, and walked down the dimly lit halls for the elevator down to the lobby.

Out of the automatic sliding glass doors, Toshinori left the building under the biting cold of the night air, his breath opaque white with each breath escaping his lips. Toshinori sighed as he left, recalling what Garou did to Midoriya…

The Hero Hunter reduced poor Izuku into a wreck, a mass of aching muscles on the verge of begging to return home on the first day. After they left, Toshinori had to call for a taxi to drive Izuku home. He was afraid that Izuku might not wake up in time for his school day, making him wonder how he should persuade Garou to lessen Izuku's newfound training enough for him to endure his school and personal life. It was a miracle that Ghin endured the initial months of such a harsh physical course… a blatant testament to boy's tenacity.

Overall, it was an exhausting day, but it was also a successful one. They made contact and befriended the Hero Hunter… plus extra.

"I wonder what other surprised he has in store for us," Toshinori muttered.

After today, he was curious to know what Garou's personal life was like. Where did he live and how did he get by? As far as he knew, there was never a report of Garou committing robberies, neither from stores nor banks, yet he managed to procure a source of income that he used to pay for his excessive lunch.

And to think Garou was that good with kids. Toshinori smiled when he saw the child riding the shoulders of the ' _Demon of Hosu_ ' without fear.

In a strange way… he kinda looked forward to learning more about Garou, treating this as an educational experience to better himself not as a hero, but as a person.

* * *

The morning thereafter was just as usual.

Izuku was in his home, recovering from the aftereffects of Garou's brutal training, leaving the poor preteen nearly crawling his way back home due to severe muscle fatigue. Garou condescendingly chuckled as Ghin laughed at Izuku with an air of smug superiority.

Despite that, Izuku said he was used to verbal abuse throughout his years. Although, it was the first time someone else offered to help him in his training beside Toshinori himself. The two martial artists have pride, but they weren't without honor and respect. The boy even promised to show Izuku the basics of combat as well today after school, although only if Izuku declared him ' _Sempai_ ' from now on.

Today, Toshinori decided to check up on Garou. Garou always followed a particular schedule, always being at the same spot at the expansive crossroads, sitting cross-legged in the center from eight in the morning to the late afternoon in his costume. Sometimes, Garou would stay longer, depending on his whim or secret lifestyle.

After having his breakfast at the hotel's cafeteria, Toshinori left the building. He stopped by a bus stop and waited for transportation to arrive. Once it did, he got onto the bus, taking a seat in the front as he calmly waited for the bus to accelerate back on track slowly.

Along the way, Toshinori took out his phone, clicking on his bookmark after opening Safari, wondering if Garou would sit there without a challenger or some commotion would occur.

Toshinori still couldn't believe how dedicated the people of the internet were for recording Garou of all people. Garou wouldn't touch them, yes, but there were still other factors like villains taking them hostage or offshoot debris from Garou's fights. However, as he looked at the screen, his eyes nearly popped out of his sockets when he saw a Hero that he didn't want to face Garou at all costs.

" **[Yo! You the pansy they call the Hero Hunter? You don't look so tough, now that I look at ya!]** "

The Rabbit Hero Mirko gruffed with a toothy, confident smile, standing before the cross-legged Garou as he stared back with his demonic black mask.

"Mirko's confronting the Hero Hunter!" One of the passengers shouted.

"What?!"

An uproar erupted, causing many phones to be taken out of many pockets.

To Toshinori's worst fear, another challenger arose to face the Hero Hunter. It was neither a Villain nor a foolish Hero like Mt Lady. It was one of the Top Ten, standing in the ring of police fences surrounding the Hero Hunter - inside his territory. Toshinori felt his legs moving on its own, ready to rush over to the scene at the slightest chance. He wanted to return to his muscle form and intervene, but knowing Garou and his rants on All Might in general, that person would tear him to shreds on sight if he arrived in imperfect condition.

Immediately once the bus reached his stop, Toshinori ran out of the bus, some other passengers running out along with him to see the fight between the Number Five Hero and the Hero Hunter. With the rushing herd, Toshinori took a sharp right, heading towards the crossroads.

The surrounding emergency vehicles and cordon slowly entered his sight in his wheezing run, blood spewing from his lips as he coughed, but he endured as he arrived at the scene, doubling over and wheezing with his hands on his knees. Looking up, Toshinori saw Garou merely sitting there with Mirko continuing to egg the Hero Hunter. Toshinori was, fortunately, at a position where he could see Garou at his left and Mirko on his right, watching from the side.

Garou's gaze was seemingly scanning Mirko's athletic form behind that mask, almost as if appraising his new, bold prey that trespassed his domain.

"What's wrong, punk? Rabbit got your tongue? I heard you used to be chatty when you were hunting the weaklings, hehe." Mirko taunted.

' _Oh god, what is she doing?!'_ Toshinori felt his panic yanking his jaw down as he saw the woman continuing hammering Garou's patience.

"She is going to fight him…"

"The Number Five Hero is challenging the Demon. She has no chance..."

"I know, right? I want to root for her, but…"

Whispers rustled around Toshinori like weeds under a gentle breeze. Their doubt in the Hero was palpable, the result of Garou's months of victories, and Toshinori knew that their doubts held weight from his experience.

Finally stirring, Garou slowly rose to his feet, leaning his head slightly to the left. He seemed to be wordlessly taunting Mirko. He did not even enter a stance, Toshinori noticed. He was looking down on Mirko, and Mirko seemed to have caught wind of that.

"Hoh, so you want me to go first? You sure? I'm nothing like those weaklings you crushed."

Mirko grinned as she started hopping on her heels as if warming up while Garou remained eerily still. Not a single twitch came from him. Toshinori could feel the other spectators around him gulping. Stealing a glance, he caught sight of their sweat trickling from their pores. He doesn't blame them as he was sweating in response to the tension as well.

"I'll show those pansies in the hospital what a real Hero's like."

Garou simply watched as Mirko stopped bounding, leaned forward, bent a knee, and curled her toes one after another. Caution wasn't like her, Toshinori caught. The Heroine had a history of recklessness, headstrong in battle, the kind to always rush in first on adrenaline without a second thought.

It seemed that even she learned to tread carefully around Garou, albeit with anxious excitement. Toshinori, and also the crowd, could sense the accumulating anticipation boiling under Mirko's smile.

Silence arrived and blew the whispers away into bated breaths, unheard but heavy, suffocating. Then it was blown away as Mirko made the first move.

She jumped, frisking in zigzags with mighty hops, asphalt cracking under her feet.

She somersaulted, turning like a wheel, gathering enough momentum to throw down a mighty, downward heel kick against Garou. However… No one saw him move, only saw his foot somehow lodged into her gut before she could reach him - in a flawlessly executed reverse high kick - and tumbling away, she went like a ragdoll dragged by a monsoon.

Gasps erupted, breaths were still. Toshinori knew the outcome, but he even couldn't help but be surprised by the martial artist's grace and form as Mirko pulled herself back up, coughing blood with one hand holding her contused stomach and the other wiping the blood off her mouth.

"Ack, okay, not gonna lie. That hurt…" Mirko, however, was smiling fiercely, a lion's grin. "But don't think that's enough to keep me down!"

Garou did not respond, merely lowering his leg back to standing form. He simply watched Mirko return to her basic stance - her posture lowered as she prepared to jump at him again.

Garou, surprisingly, started to enter into a stance, a different one than Toshinori remembered. Instead of using the martial form he used to beat him, Garou assumed a different stance… one that was unexpectedly more passive - one leg slightly bent with his hands pulled up inward, his knuckles facing Mirko.

' _What is he doing?'_ Toshinori did not know what fighting style Garou took, but that stance was not the same as before on that fateful day.

"Here I come!" She shouted, commencing the second round, rushing straight with reckless abandon as Garou gazed at her with, in contrast, the calmness of a lake.

The battle was like two opposites clashing at this moment to Toshinori's confusion and shock. Either something was wrong, or Garou was trying something different.

Mirko flew like a rocket, but Garou bent back as Mirko shot over him. Skidding the concrete in her descent as Garou straightened his back, she turned around. She pounced at Garou, throwing a volley of wild kicks, reverse and normal swings, at him as he danced with her, swiftly evading and deflecting her legs with wasteless motion.

Her kicks were heavy, strong, the force behind them like cannons firing swings and thrusts at the man before them. However, Garou maneuvered like water and something else, parrying and pirouetting around her roundhouse kicks, high kicks, medium swing kicks, and even the trite stomp kick, each kick barely grazing his cloth or his expressionless oni mask. The man knew how to stay marginally close to her while still out of her reach to her growing chagrin, irritation starting to contort her features.

"Damn it, why can't I hit you- _ugh_!?"

At the last sentence, with one foot nailing her rabbit-shaped footwear as his foothold, Garou struck her with a swift jab to her throat, pinning her down. As she gagged and coughed, Garou struck her cheek with a straight punch, flinging her head back, and followed with repeat hitting her as her head bounced back.

To the spectators, they either winced or leaned forward in suspense. To Toshinori, he saw Garou holding back with less surprise mixed with it. This wasn't Garou's usual fighting style. Was Garou practicing new martial arts and techniques on Mirko? Knowing him, Toshino could see Garou trying new martial arts considering his skill, though he couldn't understand Garou's reasons.

Even so, Garou had Mirko pinned. He was dangerously close to her, past her comfort zone, one foot nailing down Mirko's while his fists proceeded to barrage her with swift, furious blows rapidly - ones different compared to Garou's mighty strikes.

His fists were vertically revolving around each other in rapid motions as they continuously struck Mirko in the face, no contrails of blue or red streaming behind them.

"Mirko! Hang in there!"

"Don't give up! You can beat him!"

"You're one of the top ten! Don't lose!"

The crowd started to root for Mirko despite Garou overwhelming her with his fusillading blows. Blue spots started to color Mirko's face, a black eye on her left. She couldn't take any more hits or else she would drop out like the others.

"OHhhhhhhhhhhh!" Mirko shouted as she reached out and grabbed Garou's hands, locking them in place as she threw her unpinned knee up from under Garou's chin. The crowd gasps, the first counterattack they've seen about to hit the Hero Hunter back… only for the Hero Hunter to raise his knee, simultaneously parrying and pushing back her leg and striking her chin with a flawless reversal.

The crowd dropped their jaws at the sight, Toshinori included. Garou was displaying his skills, showing his dominance over Mirko in close combat with excellent choreography.

Garou struck her neck twice with two swift rolling jabs; the thudding sounds soft yet heavy. She was gagging, choking, her eyes losing focus of her mark.

It now looked like a one-sided beating with the Rabbit Hero helpless under Garou's seemingly endless barrage of fists.

In the end, he struck her chin with an upper elbow strike and pirouetted to her left as her head arched back, snaking a hand from under her nape and hooking his fingers around her chin. With a mighty yank down, he threw her off her feet as her body whorled - her spinning body paralleling the floor spinning before Garou delivered a barrage of devastating blows. With his final blow, he hurled her towards the ambulance as she broke past the metal doors, the metal shrieking under her weight.

The emergency staff shrieked upon seeing Garou throwing her over to the vehicle with pronounced precision, a bold wordless statement 'join the losers.'

"Holy hell, this guy is no joke."

"He just threw her into the ambulance. Shit, man, this is the end."

"Now I'm sure that Endeavour couldn't beat him."

"Can All Might beat him, then?"

"Maybe, but you gotta admit, the guy knows how to fight. His moves are sick as hell."

"That is true..."

Toshinori could sadly not beat him, but he agreed that Garou's techniques are visually entertaining and awe-inspiring. However, just when they were about to dismiss Mirko, she jumped out of the ambulance and landed back in the arena, blood leaking from her nose and lips as she fired a ferocious grin at Garou.

"Like hell you beat me! I'm just getting started!" Mirko shouted as she jumped, twisting her hip, and throwing another midair roundhouse kick aimed at Garou's head. However, Garou fell back, swiveled his upper body in a full rotation, and intercepted her kick with his own, forcing Mirko in a painfully awkward position.

Both stood on one leg with the other held up high painfully straight, only one of them was holding up the leg of the other.

"Huh…" Toshinori was speechless.

This reversal was new… creative… and knowing how Mirko fought, he cannot imagine how she could work around this. The rest of the spectators dropped their jaws even lower, almost beyond awestruck.

"...huh..." Mirko uttered.

Garou responded by dropping his heel past her leg and slamming it down into her stomach and to the concrete below with a heavy ax kick. Her legs and head bounced up from the impact while her spine tasted concrete. Toshinori could see blood flying out of her mouth as her eyes rolled up in white.

Before her head landed back on the stone, Garou kneeled down, pressing his knee down on her chest and knocking out blood and spit from Mirko's mouth.

The spectators watched in horror when Garou began to punch her in the face, again and again, but his fists stopped mere millimeters before hitting the heroine in the face. However, in his last punch, Garou's fist flew past her head. It struck the concrete, the result leading to cracks spreading, chunks of landmass uplifting as a shockwave exploded, shattering the street like glass - to emphasize the power behind his blows and the consequences it would lead if the strike connected.

Toshinori wasn't sure if Mirko saw it… wait, Mirko was turning her head to Garou's fist, but her face rolled away from his sight. Then Garou grabbed her head and spun, pivoting a whole revolution, and threw her into the ambulance again. She crashed inside the ambulance loudly, banging in the walls with metal rent on impact.

Garou did not say another word, turning his back on his challenger with apathy while the spectators gawping at the scene dumbstruck, slack-jawed and eyes wide. Shocked would be redundant for their expressions. Hope-shattering was more proper to describe their faces.

As Garou returned to his original spot, before he sat down, Mirko shouted at him from inside the ambulance.

"Hey, asshole." Mirko shouted, one hand gripping the wall of the ambulance as she struggled to pull herself out, her face poking out of the emergency van.

Garou stopped. He did not turn around to give her the pleasure of his face, only his back.

"Mirko's still getting up?"

"Isn't this hopeless?"

"I don't think she can win. She can barely stand…"

Toshinori could see it. Mirko's legs were wobbling. Even to the untrained eye, one could see that Mirko was on the verge of giving out. The beating Garou inflicted had taken its toll. He could tell that he was not the only one wondering when she would fall to Garou on the spot.

"This isn't over, punk." Mirko grinned as she walked, no, hobbled over to Garou in shaky steps, stepping out of the warped and throttled ambulance as she limped towards him. Toshinori was surprised she could still speak with such vitality despite the damage.

Her voice was a rasp, blood trickled from her head and lips, down to her chin before dripping onto the floor. Bruises and contusions colored her skin dark blue and unhealthy red, her left eye was closed from the blood invading her eye. The rabbit-shaped footwear on her feet, the metal-plated extensions on her toes, was in tatters, crushed during their exchange.

She was mercilessly beaten black and blue, but, despite all of that, she still pulled herself back up, driven by her desire to pay Garou back and accomplish what the other heroes failed.

Toshinori could see the futility in her efforts, but he could understand her fighting spirit. Unlike the heroes before, she was grinning. Garou turned around finally, taking in Mirko's battered state, and her belligerent smile.

Mirko spat the blood at her feet and wiped the blood of her eyes, seemingly regaining her second wind. Shaking off the fatigue from her beatings, she ran towards Garou's arena before jumping over the crowd and fences.

Garou turned around as she landed, meeting her gaze head-on.

* * *

Mirko was not gonna lie.

This was probably the most challenging fight she ever fought.

The rumors weren't lying - he really was as monstrous as those peons claimed. Mirko thought that wimpy strawman with glasses was exaggerating. The guy knew how to fight and, to her annoyance, he was holding back against her.

Even so, she did not come here to receive the same shame treatment. She was here to experience the famous Quirkless Man that gave the heroes their ass-whooping!

"Come on, where's that crazy strength when you put Endeavour in the hospital?! You afraid of hitting a girl, or what?" Mirko demanded.

And what did she get?

A few seconds of silence first and Garou wagging his finger at Mirko second. He actually told her to come at him - if she can - without uttering a word. It is somehow more insulting than hearing his voice in from the recording in that boring mass hero meeting, the one the glasses guy organized to educate the heroes to not provoke the Hero Hunter.

"Oh ho. Alright, punk, it's on."

Mirko could feel her veins bulging at his taunt. She didn't care if Garou had overwhelming might and skill, she will beat the shit out of him on this day, this she swore. To top it all off, she could somehow feel his smile behind that mask, and it was annoyingly smug.

With posthaste, Mirko returned to Garou with hopping zeal. She refused to let herself be his punching bag again as she maintained her distance. A girl can only take so much from a man, after all.

Even so, Mirko couldn't stop her sweat from breaking out. With every attack she doled, the Hero Hunter simply dodged, stepping out of her reach or blocking her kicks with ease, sometimes both. This wasn't the usual kind of opponent she could charge in and thrash about, she knew, but reality can defy expectations. She was facing an opponent that she could go all out and still be on the losing end no matter what she did. How he managed to redirect her kicks without killing her momentum she did not know. Either Garou was a perfect liar about his Quirklessness or he was just that good, and she was more inclined to believe the latter. It was like trying to attack a magnet with another magnet of the same polarity, only one can touch the other while the other can't to it.

Aim for his head, he either ducks or divert her blows with his hands. Try to kick his guts out, he steps to the side and punches her twice with two hooks. Aim for the legs…

When she tried a low kick, Garou did something she did not expect. With a pivoting stride back, he spun and hooked his leg onto her low kick, pulling her in as she dropped and slid to the side.

A familiar sensation spread out from her legs, one she hadn't felt in a long time. Outside, she looked calm, but inside she was thrown into awkward uncertainty as she digests her second painfully inconvenient position - on the floor with her doing the splits.

She was limber, of course. She did not reach the Number Five spot in the hero rankings because of her Quirk alone, training nonstop to be limber in her job. However, the bastard threw her off her tempo - the suddenness of her transition was cramping her legs like hell.

"Aaack… sssss…" Mirko hissed as she felt her legs go numb a second later, the pain almost rivaling the humiliation her position brought. She could hear the onlookers crooning 'Ohhhhhhh's out of sympathy.

"Pff."

She heard someone laugh. She turned around, seeing Garou behind her. Did he just laugh at her? She wanted to retort, but she could barely find it in her to stand back up, and the beatings Garou pounded into her didn't help her stamina.

The fact that she couldn't see his expression ticked her off even more, but she couldn't feel her legs. Instead, she wobbled back and forth, unable to maintain her balance as she fell forward on her hands, seemingly helpless. Quickly, she pushed herself back up straight, panting as she heaved a heavy breath, trying to get her legs to move.

But she felt something pinching between her shoulder and neck, cracking something.

Before she knew it, Mirko felt a sudden blackness taking over her vision. The next second when the darkness lifted, she awoke to the sight of a white ceiling, blinding light, and sudden warmth, the aching pains burning a familiar sensation.

"Congratulations. How's it feel to join the losers?"

Mirko turned her head left to see the familiar form of a toothy-smiling Mt. Lady, uncostumed, and in a warm bed. A warm hospital bed. Mirko slowly parsed the sight of Mt Lady before she quickly looked down, finding herself in septic-doused bandaids atop her bruises and her costume replaced by the same hospital clothes.

Once Mirko realized what happened, she could not help but seethe as her cheeks fumed furious red.

"That… fucking jerk!" Mirko swore teeth clenched as she swiftly tried to stand, but stopped as her stomach panged with stabbing pain, forcing her to double over.

"Whoa, Mirko! Please settle down."

Mirko looked to her side, seeing a bald doctor with glasses, cheeks as droopy as that of a bulldog's with the stereotypical stethoscope around his neck.

"I know what you're feeling, but please, don't rile up while your body is need of rest. And… I am aware of your personality, so we have a few heroes waiting outside the door, ready to bring you back in your bed."

Mirko couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"How the hell did I lose? I was…!" Mirko threw her head around, seeing herself in a room filled with other heroes, some decommissioned out of their beds and into the line of duty while others still remained, Mt Lady, Endeavour, and Crimson Riot included.

"You were severely outmatched." Crimson Riot informed from his bed. "The outcome was recorded live… he knocked you out."

" _HOW?!_ " Mirko demanded furiously.

"Well, did you know he can knock people out with a shoulder grab?" Mt Lady snickered at her.

Mirko felt like kicking her face in for that.

"...don't tell me…"

"Here, see for yourself." Mt Lady threw her iPhone at Mirko. As it landed in Mirko's hands, she looked at the paused recording of the video, just when the Hero Hunter stood behind her helpless form. She could not help but consider how frustratingly helpless she looked in the vid, down in the splits, and at his mercy.

When Mirko pressed play, she saw Garou casually grab her shoulder and squeezed. She gawped when she saw herself fell on the floor face-first, drooling with the whites of her eyes showing - Garou walking back to his spot hereafter as the medical staff quickly ferried her off into the van as it drove off into the distance.

"That… **jerk**!"

Mirko swore to return there one day. She will train herself through hell and kick Garou's ass one day or another or else.

* * *

 **Well, here it is. As I write, I realize that I am in severe need of an editor. But unfortunately, there isn't anyone that applied despite posting my needs in the previous chapters. Anyways, with this, I hope you all enjoy the chapter. I will try delving into the villains in the next chapter and otherwise, and maybe hit the ten thousand word benchmark.**


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